What Longshot QB's Talk with Bears Means
The Bears were reportedly talking to a quarterback this week.
It was Brice.
No, not Bryce Young, Chase Brice. A Bears representative talked at the Hula Bowl with the Appalachian State quarterback, according to a report by Daniel Greenberg. The big question besides why the Hula Bowl all-star game has been held in Orlando, Fla. since last year instead of Hawaii, is what does this all mean?
The answer as to what the talk with a QB means for the Bears is nothing or very little, really.
Brice is not one of the quarterbacks considered likely to be drafted, depending on what scouting site you read.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Brice was also with Clemson and Duke previously. He went 83 of 136 for 1,023 yards with nine TDs and four interceptions in two years at Clemson. He completed 193 of 352 for 2,170 yards with 10 TDs and 15 interceptions at Duke in 2020. At Appalachian State he completed 461 of 739 for 6,258 yards with 54 TDs and 17 interceptions the last two seasons.
Walterfootball.com doesn't rate him in the top 18 QBs in this draft. Northern Illinois' Rocky Lombardi is ranked higher. NFL Draft Bible has him ranked 19th among QBs in the draft.
Since the Bears last made the Super Bowl, there have been 16 drafts held and the most quarterbacks selected in any draft was 15. The average is 11 QBs drafted per year.
So obviously this is a player who is a very long shot to be drafted and as such probably someone who might have a shot at the practice squad as an undrafted free agent, with an eye on possibly becoming a third-string QB.
People will forget the Bears talked with quarterbacks Chris Oladokun of South Dakota State and James Morgan from Bowling Green/Florida International in the last two run ups to the draft and wound up with neither.
It's time to realize the draft process is a long one and the Bears will talk or visit with a large number of players at bowl games, the combine or at their own facility over the course of the next 3 1/2 months.
The important visits for teams are the 45 formal interviews at the combine or the 30 at their practice facility that they can conduct.
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