Chicago Bears: Predicting how the quarterback carousel shakes out

The Chicago Bears must turn their attention to the draft in 2021

When it comes to the Chicago Bears quarterback room, there are only a few options through trades that allow the Bears to ignore the position in the NFL Draft. Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott and Derek Carr are the only three in my opinion, and honestly, Carr is one I still might take a late-round flyer to pair with him in the draft.

The Chicago Bears have no shot at Trevor Lawrence and will likely not have a real shot at Zach Wilson or Justin Fields. If either of those two falls far enough though, then the Bears should consider moving up for one of them.

Realistically though, the Chicago Bears could have a real shot at the following:

Trey Lance Ι North Dakota State University

Trey Lance has many supporters and many detractors. I find myself in the middle. I love his upside and he is extremely athletic. The problem I have is that he is not the same as Lamar Jackson — a player many like to unfairly compare him to within the NFL.

He comes from the same school as Carson Wentz and plays against limited competition. Wentz has proven that coming from that school does not matter, but Lance will need time to develop. I’m not touching him, but I understand why others might.

Mac Jones Ι Alabama

On the opposite spectrum from Lance is Mac Jones. Playing for Alabama puts Mac Jones against some of the best college defensive talents. Jones proved his worth this season by throwing for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Many detractors say they fear he is not as good as his numbers because he has two of the best receivers in college.

Jones proved those people wrong by playing well throughout drills and practice leading into the Senior Bowl. Unfortunately, he did not play in the game due to an ankle injury. The Chicago Bears will need to move up in the draft probably as reports are the Panthers (8th pick) and Patriots (15th pick) are very high on him.

Kyle Trask Ι Florida

One of the most steady quarterbacks in college has been Kyle Trask. Trask has seen success for multiple seasons playing for Florida. In 2019, Trask threw for 25 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He averaged 245 yards per game that year. Then, with the ascension of wide receiver Kadarius Toney and tight end Kyle Pitts, Trask took off in 2020.

Trask finished with similar stats to Mac Jones. He threw for 4,283 yards, 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He had a couple of poor games, but I would look to draft Trask in the second round if he is still available.

Other top names who could be around in the middle rounds are Jamie Newman and Kellen Mond.

Final thoughts:

There is not a “right” formula for the Bears to improve their quarterback position. However, the Bears should either trade for a top player, trade for an upgrade and also draft a mid-to-late round quarterback to develop or use a high pick on a quarterback to pair with a lesser veteran option. The two most likely options I see the Bears landing outside of draft prospects are Carson Wentz or Jameis Winston. If not these two, it will be a lesser free agent like Ryan Fitzpatrick.

It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out for not only the Chicago Bears but the NFL as a whole.