Chicago Bears: Signs that Tyler Bray might be replaced

Could the Chicago Bears be looking for Tyler Bray’s replacement?

It was recently announced that the Chicago Bears will be holding tryouts for quarterbacks Mason Fine and Kyle Sloter. Could this mean that the Bears are looking to replace third-string quarterback Tyler Bray? Well, to be fair, the team could be looking to bring a fourth quarterback in to learn the offense should a COVID-19 outbreak happen. Could you imagine if the team lost both Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles? Having an emergency backup plan with extended practice squads helps.

However, if I am Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy, I am looking at Bray and thinking he has served his purpose. Bray was brought in as another “teacher” of Nagy’s offense. He has never shown enough to be considered a prospect with potential.

Bray is an undrafted free agent who entered the league in 2014 with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is now 28 years old and will turn 29 before the 2020 season is over. During that time, he has only thrown one pass in the regular season. It was an incompletion.

The Chicago Bears brought Bray in during the 2018 offseason. The hope was between Bray and Chase Daniel, Nagy could help get Trubisky and others up to speed sooner on Nagy’s offense. As the team enters year three of the system, Bray is no longer needed and the team should look for an actual project with upside. Bray’s upside is no longer playing quarterback int he NFL. Maybe he could become a positional coach instead.

My hope here is that the Chicago Bears look to replace Bray with Mason Fine. Fine might be on the short side, but he has proven that maybe size truly does not matter. At 5’11”, many might believe Fine does not have a chance to be an NFL quarterback. However, just look at guys like Russell Wilson and Drew Brees. Wilson is the same height as Fine and Brees is only an inch taller. If you want to read more about Fine, check out Cameron Henderson’s write up here.

At least Fine has some potential when compared to Bray. Kyle Sloter does not bring that same potential. Instead, Sloter is more similar to Tyler Bray. The reason Sloter may be brought in for a tryout is to gain insider knowledge into the Detroit Lions — the Chicago Bears’ first 2020 opponent.

Sloter also has some knowledge of the Vikings after spending time on the practice squad in 2017. Despite looking great during the preseason, Sloter has yet to throw a regular-season pass. He must not look as good against better competition or he would have stuck around with a club by now. Either way, this is some competition for Tyler Bray who has worn out his welcome here in Chicago if I were the General Manager.