Yes, Chicago Bears fans. Andy Dalton is your QB1. Until he isn’t, of course. When meeting with the media for the first time since signing Dalton, Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy both doubled down on the idea that the 10-year veteran will be the team’s starting quarterback in September.
“That’s how we see Andy Dalton, as a starting quarterback,” Pace said. “He’s been a starter in the league for a long time and produced at a high level for a long time. That’s all of us collectively in the building, coaches and scouts, coming to that conclusion as we went through the free agency process. He’s our starting quarterback as we head into the season.”
Sure — although some might counter with the notion that Dalton isn’t that much of an improvement over Nick Foles, who is still on the team’s roster. Foles is a very similar player who has won an important game or two over his career, but Dalton is far more experienced, and it’s no surprise he’d beat Foles out for the job. Still, some found it curious Pace would name a starter without having a competition first — but those with short memories know that his comments are very likely a smokescreen to hide his ultimate agenda.
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Pace: ‘Andy Fits Our Style of Offense’
Pace rattled off the team’s reasons for settling on Dalton after rumored efforts to woo Russell Wilson away from the Seattle Seahawks failed:
He’s a nine-year starter, he’s been to three Pro Bowls, a lot of leadership with Andy Dalton. … His decision-making, he’s won a lot of games in this league. Andy’s been a durable player, too. I think that’s something that’s understated. And I think, really, Andy fits our style of offense. When you go through it with our scouts and coaches, he can handle the drop-back game, he can handle the RPOs, the play actions, the movements. And we just felt, as we went through those free-agent quarterbacks, he’s one of the more complete quarterbacks that we evaluated in free agency, and we’re excited to have him.
As many on Twitter were quick to point out, Pace said something very similar back in 2017 when he signed Mike Glennon: “Mike Glennon is our starting quarterback and we’re fired up about that. … He’s got all the traits you could want in a quarterback. Height, arm strength, accuracy and ability to quickly process.”
The Bears drafted Mitch Trubisky weeks later, and they trodded the clearly inept Glennon out for exactly four games before turning to Trubisky. Pace also doubled down on his belief in Trubisky as the team’s starter at the end of the 2019 season before bringing in Foles and holding an open competition for the job last year. Based on his past actions and statements alone, it’s clear Pace is flexible when it comes to his proclamations about the position.
Pace said this about Glennon in 2017.
Nothing he says in this press conference matters. Dalton will be yanked from the starting position as soon as he can be lol pic.twitter.com/hFPFkva8Ja
— DaWindyCity Productions (new account) (@dwcburner) April 2, 2021
"Mike Glennon is our starting quarterback and we’re fired up about that."
Ryan Pace, March 10, 2017 https://t.co/UWwgEASjeP— Bears Barroom | Barroom Network (@BearsBarroom) April 2, 2021
Said that with Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky in 2020 as well. What Pace hasn't said is how long Dalton is the starter for. #Bears https://t.co/HjtciXCzLn
— Usayd Koshul (@usaydkoshul) April 2, 2021
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Bears Likely to Be Drafting QB Again This Month
Considering that he and Nagy have been to multiple Pro Day performances to admittedly scout quarterbacks this spring, coupled with the fact that Pace has drafted exactly one quarterback (Trubisky) since he was hired in 2013, it feels like a safe bet to assume the Bears will be adding another signal-caller at month’s end.
“It does bode well for a young quarterback in that room with the experience of those two guys and some of the accolades they have in our league,” Pace admitted.
For his part, Nagy doubled down on Dalton as his starter, noting the Red Rifle would be getting starter’s reps: “This year, depending on what happens with OTAs and the offseason, we’ll take every rep that we can get with the ones and put him as the starter and we’ll do the same thing in training camp,” Nagy said about Dalton.
It’s déjà vu all over again for the Bears, who still have more questions than answers at the quarterback position. But it’s clear Andy Dalton will be the team’s starter — unless a promising rookie or someone else — usurps him.
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