Knowing Bears Offensive Coordinator Made a Difference
Andy Dalton left no doubt about his role with the Bears.
He's not coming to compete with Nick Foles for the starting job and he didn't sign with the Bears to be traded to the Seattle Seahawks, as one national reporter has suggested.
"They told me I was the starter," Dalton said. "That was one of the reasons why I wanted to come here.
"So every conversation I've had has been that, so that's the assurance that I’ve gotten."
In his first press conference with Chicago media since signing for $10 million, the former Bengals starter and Dallas backup made it clear he is excited to be coming to the Bears even while everyone else in the city seems disappointed he's not Russell Wilson. The perception he is the rebound quarterback makes little difference to Dalton.
"Obviously I know there's been a lot of talk, but I'm coming in from the outside," Dalton said. "A lot of people don't know a ton about me and are gonna get to learn a lot about me while I'm here.
"That's all I'm worried about and so I'm here now. Hopefully everybody gets a chance to see who I am as a player, as a person, see what we're gonna be able to do with this organization. I'm excited about the opportunity. Obviously there's been a lot of talk, but I'm not worried about any of that."
Russell Wilson Situation
In fact, while Chicago sat on the edge of its seat not knowing whether Wilson was coming here, Dalton knew more about than they did.
"I was in constant contact with everybody throughout this whole process, so I knew what was going into it," Dalton said. "And so I think that was really it.
"When it (the deal) wasn't happening and this worked out for both of us to come together and for me to be a part of this team I was ecstatic because I was hoping this was going to be the case."
Dalton believes he can blend into the quarterback situation well. He knows his competition from their days in Texas. Dalton is 33 years old and from Katy, Texas while Foles, who is 32, is from Austin.
"Texas guy, I watched him in high school," Dalton said. "So we've known each other and been around each other some. I've talked to Nick. I think it's going to be a great working relationship, so I'm excited to actually get to be on the same team with him and get a chance to play with him."
A Rookie Job Competitor
Competition from elsewhere won't bother him, he said. In other words, he's not going to be completely stunned like Mike Glennon was when Mitchell Trubisky was drafted. The Bears might actually draft a quarterback.
The situation is different, though, because Glennon didn't have a one-year contract like Dalton, who received only $10 million to sign. Glennon got a multiyear, $43.5 million deal.
"I think that's kind of part of it," Glennon said. "I've been the starter and helped the backup throughout my career. I think it's what you can do to help the next guy. We'll see if that's the case and what we do in the draft. But I've got no problem with that."
Why Chicago?
The relationship between Dalton and Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor played a big part in his signing with the Bears. Lazor served as Bengals offensive coordinator two years and quarterbacks coach for a year while Dalton played in Cincinnati.
He was in contact with coach Matt Nagy, general manager Ryan Pace and Lazor throughout the free agency process and had a few other options.
"I really enjoyed my time working with him," Dalton said. "It wasn't just him as a coach, it was him as a person, him as a friend.
"I think that's gonna make this whole transition here a lot easier just because we have this past relationship. We kept in contact throughout the years even when he wasn't in Cincinnati. I'm excited to get back to working with him and seeing what we can do offensively."
The Fit
Dalton views himself as a fit in Nagy's offense, even if he isn't the mobile passer Mitchell Trubisky was. According to a league source, the Bears expressed interest in Ryan Fitzpatrick, as well. An ESPN reports indicated they had some interest in Jameis Winston, as well.
"Offensively, I think we want to be multiple," Dalton said. "We don't want to have just one identity of this is what we're going to do. We want to be able to change tempos, we want to be able to spread people out, but also going to dense formations and do different things.
"I think just the versatility that we want to bring offensively gives you the advantage, from shift and motion to all the different things that go along with playing offense. I think that's the thing that we’re excited about. There's stuff to build on from what this team was able to be last year. For me, I'm excited to kind of dig into the playbook and dig into the tape and see exactly how we want this thing run."
If it seems like a chaotic situation in Chicago at the moment after the Wilson situation and coming in on heels of that, Dalton is definitely prepared for anything. He escaped the crucible that is Dallas and the Jerry Jones soap opera.
READ: The Bears Can't Go Out Like This, Can They?
"It was different because of COVID," Dalton said. "I thought last year I was going to sign with the Cowboys and I was going to get to experience something completely different and everything, but I think COVID limited a lot of that stuff.
"Obviously the Cowboys are talked about a lot and we definitely see that, but I wouldn’t say that I experienced anything that I hadn't experienced in the past."
It might happen to him now in Chicago, instead.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
