UPDATE: Sources are reporting that the Bears have signed Jason Campbell to a 1-year deal to back up Jay Cutler. Terms not yet disclosed.
Great pickup for the Bears. Campbell is a starter-caliber quarterback.
The Free Agent Frenzy is in full swing. The Bears made a big splash by trading to get Jay Cutler’s old buddy from Denver Brandon Marshall into the fold for a pair of third round picks. Now they’re trying to shore up the backup quarterback position by going after former Redskins and Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell.
The Bears needed to fortify their backup quarterback spot after the debacle from the 2011 season. They were 7-3 and coasting toward a playoff spot when Cutler got hurt. Caleb Hanie couldn’t find water if he fell out of a boat and the Bears limped to an 8-8 record and out of the playoffs.
Here’s the Tribune’s Dan Pompei and Vaughn McClure on Campbell:
"A league source familiar with the Bears’ thinking confirmed a report by Michael Lombardi of NFL Network that the team is pursuing quarterback Jason Campbell to be Cutler’s backup.Campbell may be good enough to start for some teams. He has a career passer rating of 82.8.He was 4-2 with the Raiders before getting hurt last season. Carson Palmer took over and went 4-5 with the same team.The 30-year-old was the Redskins’ first round draft pick in 2005. Former Bears general manager Jerry Angelo thought highly of Campbell when he came out of Auburn.Campbell’s tenure in Washington was rocky. He went 20-32 as a starter before being traded to Oakland for a fourth round pick. With the Raiders, he was benched in 2010 but went 11-7 over two years as a starter."
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… you know the rest. Next the Bears need to bolster the offensive line to make sure Cutler doesn’t get killed and they’ll be in business on offense.