For the first time in a while, the Chicago Bears are preparing for a quarterback competition. Jay Cutler has been the man in charge since his arrival in the Windy City, but 2015 could see a change under center. While head coach John Fox is stressing that heading into practices Cutler is the starting quarterback, he is interest in a competition and could be aiming to add another player into the mix.
The Bears need insurance should Cutler struggle once again in 2015. The Bears failed to acquire a trade deal for the quarterback thanks to his contract and will likely stay committed to him financially through the 2016 season. However, they need other options in order to avoid another let down season like last year. The first step was re-signing Jimmy Clausen and the next might be to get someone in the draft or in free agency.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bears are very interested in Marcus Mariota, but only if he falls into their laps at No. 7. The chances Mariota falls in the draft past possibly the No. 2 pick are slim. If the Bears are not willing to trade up, they will miss out on the former Oregon star and will have to look elsewhere. That could mean Brett Hundley or Bryce Petty are options to develop or it could mean the Bears look for a potential trade instead.
The Bears could join the number of teams interested in acquiring either Mike Glennon or Kirk Cousins who are available for the right price from their respective teams. They could also join the Sam Bradford bandwagon if the Philadelphia Eagles officially shop him for more draft picks. The Bears are unlikely to give up a lot to add another quarterback. They will remain committed to Cutler enough to not shop their first-round pick for another quarterback. Glennon and Cousins could come relatively cheap, but Bradford would cost too much.
According to Fox, Cutler will enter as the No. 1 guy on the depth chart, but that is not even close to being set in stone. He is eager to see what Clausen brings to the table while needing to add at least one more body to the rotation.
"It's all an open competition," Fox said, via CSNChicago.com. "Obviously you've got to start somewhere and my experience in football, really in anything, it's not where you start a competition; it's where you finish it. But we've got to start the race with some kind of lineup. We have not discussed that in depth. We have not presented it to our players yet. I kind of have it in my brain and then they compete. Logically, if you're looking at a depth chart two weeks before we can get anything going, I'd say yes, he's no. 1 on the depth chart."