Chicago Bears will Release Mike Glennon, Willie Young
Ryan Pace met the media at the combine and made an announcement regarding the Bears’ QB position.
Ryan Pace met the media at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday and made a couple of announcements regarding the Chicago Bears‘ roster. The first announcement comes with absolutely no surprise.
Ryan Pace confirms the #Bears will release Mike Glennon once the new league year starts.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) February 28, 2018
Pace stated that Mike Glennon will be released but that cannot happen until the new NFL year begins in March due to the wording in his contract. Some Bears fans seemed to be a tad nervous that perhaps Glennon would be on the roster in 2018 when he survived the first round of Bears’ cuts, but have no fear fans, it was simply just a glitch.
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It’s an understatement to say that the Glennon signing didn’t work out. It’s hard to imagine another signing that Pace will ever make that will be worse than this one. Glennon was an epic bust and received $18.5 million from the Bears to play poorly in four games and then ride the bench the rest of the season.
While the Glennon signing wasn’t back-breaking because it was truly just a one-year contract and Pace always knew that Mitch Trubisky would be starting by 2018, it will always be a wonder why the Bears paid him so much money when they seemingly were bidding against themselves.
Glennon wasn’t the only announcement the team made.
The #Bears will release OLB Willie Young.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) February 28, 2018
This is another move that is probably in the best interest of the team, but it is also one that will disappoint some Bears’ fans.
Willie Young carved out a very nice career for himself in Chicago. He tallied 26.5 sacks in four seasons in Chicago and became a fan favorite with his “Gone Fishin'” sack celebration. Many thought when the Bears switched to a 3-4 that Young wouldn’t be able to make the transition from a 4-3 DE to a 3-4 OLB but he surprised everyone and did just that and Pace rewarded him with a contract extension.
Unfortunately, age caught up with Young. Last season he struggled with injuries and only played in four games. While he managed two sacks in those games, he also looked slow at times and was not constantly creating QB hurries as he had in years’ past.
With the upcoming release of Young, the Bears have serious needs at OLB. Leonard Floyd is really the only one on the roster. The Bears are going to have to have to fortify that position through the draft and free agency. The edge position in free agency is not strong either, which will create an issue. Lamarr Houston is a possibility to bring back as a rotational player, but it’s a big question as to who will be starting opposite Floyd this season.