The NFL free agent period slows down heavily once training camps and the preseason start, but things can heat up quickly when injuries happen and after names like Dustin Keller, Derek Wolfe, E.J. Manuel and Champ Bailey went down, players on the market can grab on to roster spots and at the quarterback position now are names like JaMarcus Russell, Matt Leinart, Byron Leftwich and Tyler Thigpen.
Those are the top names left at the quarterback position after Trent Edwards signed with the Bears and that move came after he was released earlier in the season by the Philadelphia Eagles. Seneca Wallace was also just released by the Saints and he is a nice pickup option as well. The Bears were rumored to be interested in JaMarcus Russell, but instead they opted to sign Edwards after Matthew Blanchard broke a knuckle. The team also added Jordan Palmer to the team to give them some solid options behind Jay Cutler, who has dealt with some injuries in previous seasons.
Edwards comes to the team after starting 33 games in 38 appearances with the Bills, Oakland Raiders, Eagles and Jaguars, although apart from Buffalo he did not start consistently. Edwards has been solid during his time in the NFL but not stellar, completing over 60 percent of his passes with 26 touchdowns, 30 interceptions and a passer rating of 75.5. During his time in the league after being a third-round pick, he has a 14-19 record while starting games and the Bears are hoping that he never has to start any games, Palmer as well.
Last season the team needed Jason Campbell to play after Cutler dealt with some injuries and now they have brought in Edwards after Blanchard injured his hand against the San Diego Chargers in the victory on Thursday. The team has backup Josh McCown and the Bears are hoping that neither player is injured in the postseason, hence the backup signings. The Bears final preseason game is on August 29 and there is a chance that Cutler and McCown will not play in that contest.
Palmer is the bother of Carson and he comes to the team after playing with the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars after being drafted by the Redskins. He went 10 of 15 for 49 yards and two interceptions with the Bengals over three seasons and now he gives a bench presence to the Bears. The rest of the free agent crop for quarterbacks includes JaMarcus Russell, Matt Leinart, Byron Leftwich, Tyler Thigpen as well as Seneca Wallace. Leftwich started a game last season at Baltimore, losing 13-10 to fall to 0-6 since 2007 according to SI.com.