Bears reportedly looking to add veteran quarterback Carson Wentz |
With all the turnover expected on the Bears roster this season, one position will remain the same. That would be the QB position, as Justin Fields is their man going forward. The soon-to-be third-year man has taken a ton of flack in his first two seasons, but showed immense improvement in year two. The passing side of his game still needs some work, but look for him to work on that this offseason.
Behind Fields is another question, as the Bears need to figure out what to do at the backup QB position. You saw Trevor Siemien and Nathan Petermann both see time as the backup last year, but do you want to ride into next season with one of them as the backup? I know no one wants to talk about this, but injuries do happen in football, and heaven forbid, if Fields gets hurt, the Bears don't have many options. That is one of the reasons why many expect the Bears to use some of their free-agent funds to sign a backup, but not just any backup. The Bears are looking for a veteran backup that has plenty of starter experience and was a former NFL MVP before injuries started to derail his career. According to recent reports, the Bears are looking to allocate some of their funds to address the backup QB position with former No. 2 pick Carson Wentz as a legitimate option. Wentz was once the prized possession of the 2016 NFL draft and went on to help the Eagles win the Superbowl in just his second season. He was an MVP candidate, and many felt he was the next big thing at the QB position. That was until injuries started to derail his career, and he has been a shell of himself ever since. Wentz did show a brief resurgence with the Colts in 2021, but struggled mightily in Washington last year before getting cut by the Washington Football team. Now looking for a new home, Wentz may be forced to settle for a backup job unless he plans to wait until an injury happens. Although Wentz may not be the player he once was, adding him as a backup QB would be an excellent choice for the Bears. This is a guy with seven years of experience under his belt and would immediately come in to mentor Fields. You also would be bringing in a guy with plenty of playing experience, as he could fill in for Fields should he go down with an injury. Wentz is far from the same QB he once was, and he realizes that his only way to stay in the league at this point is to settle for a backup role. This is a 30, soon to be 31 year old who is a free agent for the first time, but feels he still has some good football left in him. Do other teams feel that way coming off the season he had in 2022? Injuries aside, Wentz has started 92 games across the past seven seasons, which comes out to roughly 13 per season. His time in Philly came to a crashing halt in 2020 when he threw nearly as many picks (15) as he did touchdowns (16) and got benched in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts in Week 13. That was when his downfall as a player started, as the offense was no longer catered to his strengths, and he needed to adjust to the new personnel. Overall, Wentz has gotten a bit better statistically in his most recent two stops, but his biggest issue — turnovers — is something he still hasn’t been able to solve. Looking back at 2022, Wentz not only had six interceptions but also lost six fumbles. You can't have that in a starting QB, and the Bears know that Fields has the same issue. Looking at the QB market and who is available, there may be better options than Wentz, but most are looking for starter opportunities. Wentz falls into that category also, but he is also content with taking what he can get as he looks for a fresh start. Chicago may not be the ideal fit for him, but it is an opportunity that could save his career. He can come into Chicago, know his role and help mentor one of the young rising stars in this league. We have seen this before with Nick Foles and Case Keenum, who have always been better backups than starters. That may be a niche that Wentz can fall into, and that will go a long way to helping Fields and the Bears if it happens.
