QB Marcus Mariota might not be an option for Bears in free agency

The Bears are certainly in the hunt for a veteran QB this offseason. While Marcus Mariota has been mentioned, he might not make sense.

The Bears have questions to address surrounding the quarterback situation this offseason following a disappointing outing by third-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

While Trubisky wasn’t the only issue on offense, he was a big reason why they failed to establish any sort of identity. In a season where he was supposed to take the next step, Trubisky regressed to the point where he was a detriment to the Bears offense.

The Bears are publicly backing Trubisky, but there’s no doubt that they’ll bring in competition for him through free agency and/or the NFL Draft.

One name that has been mentioned is Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, another former No. 2 overall selection that hasn’t lived up to expectations. Mariota was someone that caught Pace’s eye back in 2015, and now he’ll likely hit the free agent market with Ryan Tannehill dethroning him in Tennessee.

But the Mariota to the Bears speculation might hit a snag. Last month, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune had this to say about Mariota’s potential landing with the Bears, via NBC Sports Chicago.

… those quarterbacks share the same agent, and that makes no sense for the agent because the agent then guarantees one of their two clients is not starting. And, furthermore, the agent probably sees Trubisky as a guy who should be a starter, who shouldn’t be challenged for the starting job, so there’s almost no way that they would take another one of their clients to go challenge another one of their clients for the job. Mariota’s just an absolute non-starter for the Bears, no matter how they even evaluate him …

Both Trubisky and Mariota are represented by Rep 1 Sports, which would certainly complicate matters having two clients battling for a starting quarterback position.

Biggs is usually someone that has a finger on things like this, and his saying that Mariota is a “non-starter” for the Bears makes it sounds like if the Bears are going the veteran route, it’s not going to be Mariota.

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Ranking the NFL’s final four head coaches

Touchdown Wire ranks (from worst to best) the four coaches remaining in the NFL’s postseason.

If you did a ranking of the league’s head coaches at any other time, New England’s Bill Belichick would top the list. After all, the man has won six Super Bowls.

But, in this case, we’re talking only about the here and now. Belichick doesn’t even qualify for this list. That’s because we’re ranking only the four coaches whose teams will be playing in the conference championship games.

We’re ranking only Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur, Kansas City’s Andy Reid, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and Tennessee’s Mike Vrabel. This is a unique crew of coaches. Reid is the well-known veteran while the other three are in the early years of their careers.

With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Touchdown Wire provides a scouting report and ranking of each of the four head coaches remaining. We go from worst to best.

4. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers

This is Shanahan’s first winning season in his three years as a head coach. The 49ers have been outstanding in most areas. But I think it’s still a little too early to classify Shanahan as a great head coach. He certainly may get there and it may be soon. But, for now, I see him as a great offensive coordinator. That’s his background and he holds the coordinator and play-calling duties with the 49ers. Shanahn is a master out of running and passing out of the same personnel groups and formations. Wisely, he’s not really involved on defense. He leaves that at up to coordinator Robert Saleh, who is one of the best in the business.

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Chicago dubbed prime landing spot for QB Teddy Bridgewater

One of the prime free agent QBs this offseason will be the Saints’ Teddy Bridgewater, and Chicago has been dubbed a good landing spot.

The Bears have an important offseason ahead where they’re going to need to make some decisions at the quarterback position.

While general manager Ryan Pace publicly backed Mitchell Trubisky — stating that he’s going to be the Bears’ starter heading into 2020 — his actions this offseason will speak louder than those words muttered at an end-of-year press conference.

Marcus Mariota and Andy Dalton have been names floated around as possible veteran options that could land in Chicago.

But one of the prime free agent targets this offseason will be Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who could choose to re-sign with New Orleans or find a team in contention for a championship.

If Bridgewater were to explore the free agent market, Bleacher Report believes that Chicago is a prime landing spot for the former first-round pick.

In all likelihood, it’s going to take a contending team to pry away Bridgewater from New Orleans, and the Chicago Bears are one of the few that make some sense.

Those Bears have likely soured on the Mitchell Trubisky experience after another middling year that seemed to hold things back. But they don’t have a high-profile pick to add a rookie yet have $20-plus million in cap space to lure in a veteran.

In the interests of contending now, this seems like a good marriage for both parties. If Bridgewater links up with an offensive guru in Matt Nagy, his next attempt at being a franchise passer could be a success.

Regardless, the Bears are going to need to turn to free agency and the NFL Draft to add quarterbacks. Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray are set to become free agents in March, and the Bears need to bring in a veteran that can challenge Trubisky — and potentially replace him if things go sour.

If Bridgewater were to come to Chicago, it wouldn’t be in a reserve role. If Pace goes out and signs Bridgewater, the Bears would be committing to Bridgewater as their starter.

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Titans-Ravens: a look at offensive snap counts

Here’s a complete look at the teams snap counts on offense.

The Tennessee Titans did what may considered to be the unthinkable as they came into M&T Bank Stadium and secured a dominant 28-12 win over the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.

The Titans played true complementary football all night long to come out with the victory, and now just one game stands between Tennessee and a Super Bowl appearance.

As they have been doing lately, the Titans put backup quarterback Marcus Mariota in the game for one snap, leaving starter Ryan Tannehill to take the other 54.

Offensive guard Rodger Saffold was in for 53 snaps, while tight end Jonnu Smith saw action on 52 snaps and wide receiver A.J. Brown was on the field for 46 snaps.

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Tight end MyCole Pruitt, who had a nice 15-yard reception was in action for 26 snaps.

Pruitt, fullback Khari Blasingame and wide receiver Darius Jennings were all on the field for 38% of special teams snaps.

Here’s a complete look at the teams snap counts on offense.

.@Titans snaps on offense/special teams in win vs @Ravens pic.twitter.com/PhNknjrEiC

— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) January 12, 2020

The Titans will face the Kansas City Chiefs next in Arrowhead Stadium at 2:05 p.m. CST on Sunday for the chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

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7 pending free agents Bears should keep eye on in Saturday’s divisional playoffs

With all eyes turned to the divisional playoffs, there are seven pending free agents the Bears should keep an eye on Saturday.

The Chicago Bears haven’t played in the NFL divisional playoffs since 2011, which hurts more than usual given the lofty expectations surrounding the team before the season.

Free agency is just about two months away, and the Bears have plenty of decisions to make both in-house and on the open market. With multiple areas of need, free agency and the NFL Draft will be important for general manager Ryan Pace.

With all eyes turned to the divisional playoffs, here are 7 pending free agents the Bears should keep an eye on Saturday:

QB Marcus Mariota

Tennessee Titans

Technically, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Marcus Mariota won’t see the field on Saturday against the Ravens. And yet, he’s someone the Bears are surely keeping their eyes on this offseason.

Before Ryan Pace risked it all for Mitchell Trubisky, he was enamored with Mariota back in 2016 before Tennessee selected him second overall. Given the fact that both Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray are set to become free agents, Mariota is someone that Pace could target as competition for Trubisky this offseason — and perhaps as a backup plan should Trubisky struggle in 2020.

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3 storylines for Bears fans to watch in NFL divisional playoffs

While the Bears will be watching the NFL divisional playoffs from home, there are a few storylines to watch this weekend.

The NFL playoff divisional round kicks off this weekend, and Bears fans will be watching without any rooting interest — well, in the case of the Vikings and Packers, there will be a rooting disinterest.

That’s just one of several things Bears fans will be watching Saturday and Sunday as the final eight teams battle for a spot in the conference championships next week.

Here are 3 storylines to watch this weekend in the NFL divisional playoffs:

1. The Ryan Pace Bowl

This one is going to be a hard one for Bears fans to stomach. What’s worse than watching Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Houston’s Deshaun Watson battle it out in the regular season? Watching Mahomes and Watson center stage in the postseason.

Technically, this is the second Ryan Pace Bowl this season as Mahomes and Watson played each other earlier this season. Every play will be a reminder that Pace chose Mitchell Trubisky over Mahomes and Watson. While it’s going to be painful for Bears fans to watch, just imagine how bad it’s going to be for Pace.

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Titans-Ravens matchup features five Heisman Trophy winners

The game features five Heisman Trophy winners – three on Baltimore’s side and two on Tennessee’s.

The stakes couldn’t be higher as the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens prepare to face each other in the divisional round of the postseason.

But five of these players have a special understanding of what it means to step up and make an impact in a way that doesn’t go unnoticed.

The game features five Heisman Trophy winners – three on Baltimore’s side and two on Tennessee’s.

On their college careers, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, Titans RB Derrick Henry, Ravens QB Robert Griffin III, Titans QB Marcus Mariota and Ravens RB Mark Ingram each took home the high honor.

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That means both team’s second-string quarterbacks have won the trophy, with Baltimore’s starter being the most recent of them all to take home the trophy.

Jackson most recently won in in 2016, and then was selected as the final pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by Baltimore. He spent half of his rookie season behind Joe Flacco, and really came into his own this season.

It’s highly likely that a couple of these players won’t see action at all or may go largely unnoticed, but the Titans have put Mariota in the game on select plays in the past couple of contests, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take the field at least once or twice.

The Titans and Ravens are set to kick off at 7:15 p.m. CST on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium.

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One NFL insider believes Marcus Mariota is headed to the Bears

In an offseason filled to the brim with QB conversation in Chicago with Mitchell Trubisky, Marcus Mariota might be a name to watch.

It’s going to be a long offseason filled to the brim with quarterback conversation in Chicago, which will feature discussion about Mitchell Trubisky, as well as pending free agents and draftees.

There were many reasons why the Bears offense was abysmal in 2019, but Trubisky was near the top of that list. Considering the importance of the quarterback position, you have to wonder how short of a leash Trubisky will be on in 2020?

Quarterback is an area that the Bears absolutely need to address this offseason. Even if they remain steadfast in their belief in Trubisky as their starter in 2020, they need to reshape their quarterbacks room with pending free agents Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray likely on their way out.

One option is free agency, where there will be no shortage of veteran options that will, at the very least, provide competition for Trubisky at the position.

According to one NFL exec, Marcus Mariota to Chicago would make the most sense.

“I could see Chicago [for Mariota],” he said. “Ryan Pace wants to stick with Mitch [Trubisky], and this way Mariota can start games but isn’t a total replacement, leaving room for Trubisky to regain his confidence and play well.”

If Mariota, a pending free agent, were to make his way to Chicago, it could be a reversal of fortune of sorts, considering what Mariota went through last season with the Titans. After he struggled, Mariota was benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill, a veteran that came in and breathed life in to Tennessee’s offense and currently has them in the divisional round of the playoffs.

It would also make sense considering Pace’s affinity for Mariota dating back to the 2016 NFL Draft.

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Ravens to host Titans in AFC divisional round

The Baltimore Ravens will take on the only AFC playoff team they didn’t already see in the regular season when they host the Tennessee Titans

The Baltimore Ravens will take on the only playoff team they didn’t face in the regular season. The Ravens will host the sixth-seeded Tennessee Titans on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 8:15 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Titans handled the New England Patriots, using their powerful rushing attack and capable defense to win 20-13. Running back Derrick Henry was let loose, gaining 182 rushing yards and a touchdown on 34 carries while quarterback Ryan Tannehill 72 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one interception did just enough to balance out the offense and keep New England honest.

While Tennessee came into the playoffs as the sixth and final seed, there was plenty of reason to believe they might be one of the more dangerous teams. Not only has Baltimore not played them yet this season, but their tough rushing attack and improved quarterback play after switching from Marcus Mariota to Tannehill had also them surging in the final half of the season.

Though it might not appear that way thanks to just 72 passing yards in a playoff game, Tannehill has actually been one of the best quarterbacks this season. In 10 starts, Tannehill posted 22 passing touchdowns to six interceptions and a passer rating of 117.5 (better than Lamar Jackson’s 113.3 rating).

Their defense, led by former Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees, has been good but not great. However, as we saw in their wild-card game against New England, Tennessee was more than able to create big plays when they need them.

This will be a really tough test for Baltimore but is just one step in their quest to get to Super Bowl LIV.

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Tag: Marcus Mariota