When it comes to this business, you cannot hesitate. Unfortunately, that's exactly what I did. On Sunday night, I drafted the title '3 Quarterbacks the Chicago Bears could sign if Justin Fields misses multiple weeks,' but then I couldn't get to finishing it. I even came up with the three names I wanted to include. Two of them will be mentioned in this article and well, one of them was the guy the Bears just signed tonight -- Trace McSorley.
Before we get into other names, let's take a look at what the signing of Trace McSorley means for this organization. On one hand, it could mean that Justin Fields is going to miss some significant time. As of now, the team has confirmed Fields dislocated his thumb but is not giving any timeline for his return. He also hasn't been put on injured reserve yet, but I expect that to come soon as we laid out the most likely timeline on Monday. This speculation was prior to the MRI, but that hasn't dispelled anything at this point and it's likely Fields misses some significant time.
That said, it doesn't mean Fields will miss the rest of the season. That would be an absolute worst-case scenario and I just don't think that happens. I expect to see Fields back for the final four to five games at least. Practice squad guys are signed all year and it's more likely that the team just wants to carry three quarterbacks heading into the Week 7 matchup against the Raiders.
Now, what are the Chicago Bears getting from Trace McSorley?
The Chicago Bears are getting a sixth-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. He's currently 28 years old and played at Penn State. He's a bit of a smaller guy at only 6'0" and 202 pounds, but he brings some actual experience to the quarterback room. McSorley has played in nine games, starting one last year for the Arizona Cardinals. He has a career completion percentage of just 51.6% to go along with only one passing touchdown and five interceptions. You read that correctly. McSorley has five interceptions to just one touchdown. That's not a typo.
Last season, he didn't throw any touchdowns with his 83 attempts but averaged one interception for every 16.6 dropbacks. Yikes. I included him in my initial three options as a practice squad signing with Justin Fields sidelined, but I think Chicago would be better off signing one of these three instead. Before we get to them, it should be noted they also tried out former Notre Dame QB, Ian Book and Virginia's Bryce Perkins.