Connections Make the Difference for Bears

Before the Bears hired a coach, it was difficult to look at the group of free agent quarterbacks for 2022 to determine a proper backup for Justin Fields beyond just picking a name from the hat.

Now the system and coaches under Matt Eberflus are decided and those are always critical when bringing in a backup quarterback.

Coaches like the thought of a backup quarterback who might know their offensive system or be familiar with the coaches because it makes installation of the offense easier if someone in the quarterback room has practical knowledge of the attack. If they have a young starting quarterback, it's even more essential because the veterans' mentoring can assist the quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator.

Matt Nagy had both Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray when he came to the Bears, and Mitchell Trubisky's best season was 2018 when the offense was first installed.

There are plenty of other issues to consider with a backup, especially when the starter is inexperienced like Justin Fields is for the Bears. The main one is simply the ability to play effectively like a starter. The Bears just went through a season when Fields was in and out of the lineup due to injuries and COVID-19. Mobile quarterbacks get hurt more because they have the ball more as runners. At some point the backup might play, or might be stuck as starter for a long time.

Cost is always a factor, and also to consider is finding a backup who is not going to create an uncomfortable situation for the coaches. In other words, he's not going to be so good that there is a demand for him to take the job from a very young starter who is trying figure out the NFL.

For these reasons alone, a player like Ryan Fitzpatrick or Teddy Bridgewater should be immediately eliminated. Both want too much money and think they're starters. And then there is Mitchell Trubisky, who has all the right qualities but how on earth could anyone ever think he'd want to return to Halas Hall as a backup?

Here are the names to watch for under the new Bears offensive brain trust.

Tim Boyle

He was Aaron Rodgers' backup in 2019 and even in 2020 after the Packers spent a first-round pick for Jordan Love, so he played in the Matt LaFleur offensive system and his quarterbacks coach was Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. With Rodgers present, Boyle got to throw only four passes for three completions and 15 yards in Green Bay. When he left as a free agent and played for Detroit last year, he was awful. The circumsances of his three starts were tough. They were with the Lions in a failing offense. But he completed 64.9% while throwing six interceptions and three touchdown passes for 526 yards with a passer rating of 63.5. He lost to his old team in a start, 37-10 at Lambeau Field. It was a game the Vikings had to have. Until he went to Detroit, he couldn't really say he'd faced the speed of the NFL game. Now he has.

Sean Mannion

Minnesota's veteran backup has been in the league since 2016 and with the Vikings from 2019-21. He worked with new Bears quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko as the Vikings quarterback coach. Mannion stuck around with the Rams without playing much and then finally get playing time as Kirk Cousins' backup in a Shanahan style of offense, related to the LaFleur attack he'd be in with the Bears. Mannion has thrown 110 passes for 60.9% completions and 573 yards with a TD and three interceptions. He has a passer rating of 66.2 and made a start in the 2019 regular-season finale against the Bears at Minneapolis with a bunch of Vikings subs. Bears starters prevailed in a 21-19 win and Mannion was 12 of 21 for 126 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble.

Colt McCoy

It might be hard to pry him away from the Cardinals even though he is a free agent because he enjoyed good success last year replacing injured Kyler Murray. A longtime backup in the league, McCoy was the backup for a season with the Giants and so he knows new Bears passing game coordinator and receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, although that really has nothing to do with the current Bears offense. Last year he started three times for Arizona and the Cardinals won twice. He threw three TD passes, just one interception, had 740 yards passing and completed 74.7% as he adjusted to Kliff Kingsbury's pro version of the Air Raid offense well. McCoy's chances to play have occurred more frequently over the last four years as he led his teams to a 3-5 record, including 0-3 in Washington in 2018-19. In the four years, he has been a safe option with 67.5% completions and seven TD passes to six interceptions for an 84.9 passer rating.

Jacoby Brissett

He has no tie to the offense or offensive coaches, but was both backup and a starter for the Indianapolis Colts during the first three years Eberflus was the defensive coordinator. So Eberflus knows very well how effective Brissett is with the quarterback sneak. It's his trademark. Brissett started in 2019 and the Colts were 7-8 in those games with 60.9% completions, 18 TDs and only six interceptions. He was a safe option and had an 88.0 passer rating. Brissett wasn't completely different last year in five starts for Miami in place of Tua Tagovailoa. He threw five TDs to four interceptions, averaged only 5.7 yards an attempt and had a 78.1 passer rating. But he still knows how to sneak the ball. He has some mobility so he could work well in an offense with plenty of bootleg action.

Cam Newton

With Newton, the only tie to the Bears is he is friendly with Fields. Several times Fields has said he has looked up to Newton or had contact with him. Newton has been terrible since leaving the Panthers the first time. Carolina might want to keep him this year, anyway. However, since leaving Carolina at the end of the Ron Rivera regime, Newton's teams have won seven out of 22 starts, and he threw for 12 touchdowns with 16 interceptions for a 77.1 passer rating and 61.9% completions. He has averaged a mediocre 6.7 yards an attempt. He continues to try to make an impact as a big, scrambling quarterback but at 33 this season his days for being able to do this are dwindling. His cost might be too great. The fact he probably thinks he's still a starter could disqualify him here. One potential plus is he might adapt better to the new Bears style of offense that gets him out in the open on bootlegs more. With New England and Carolina he did not play in a Shanahan style of attack.

Tyrod Taylor

Taylor put up good stats for years and never received his proper due. His play has declined lately, but he has been in Houston and, of course, Houston has a problem. One intriguing aspect of Taylor's past is he was in a Shanahan-style attack for one season in Buffalo with Rick Dennison as offensive coordinator. Dennison was under the original Shanahan, Mike, in Denver and has wide-zone influences in the running game to go with bootleg action. In that attack, Taylor completed 62.6%, threw for 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions and had a passer rating of 89.2. He just couldn't get it in the end zone enough. The Bills had plenty of problems that year blocking for him, as he was sacked 46 times. Considering the pressure, his 6.7 yards per attempt probably wasn't that bad.`

Marcus Mariota

It's quite possible he doesn't want to leave Las Vegas if all he is getting is another backup gig. If he's willing to take a chance, the team would be getting a mobile passer who hasn't been asked to do much since 2019 except run with it. He only threw 30 passes for the Raiders with a TD and an interception. The connection here is Mariota did have one year of experience as starter in LaFleur's offense with Tennessee in 2018. He struggled to get the ball in the end zone but still averaged an excellent 7.6 yards an attempt with a solid 92.3 passer rating, and then was injured in the next-to-last game. The Titans had to use Blaine Gabbert in their biggest game of the season and lost the finale to the Colts to miss the playoffs. Then LaFleur was gone, Mariota was benched under Arthur Smith in favor of Ryan Tannehill during the 2019 season and wound up with the Raiders as a backup. It might be time for him to re-emerge with a team that has a young quarterback who is learning the NFL as starter but needs a backup behind him who can play and also knows a little about the style of attack.

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