Albert Breer's Take on Bears-Eagles Wentz Standoff
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer sees an end coming soon to the Bears-Eagles standoff over Carson Wentz.
Whether it's the Bears who wind up with Wentz, Breer isn't saying.
However, he pointed out Chicago would be the best place for Wentz.
"I think he needs the hard coaching he's had a tough time with, and Bears passing game coordinator John DeFilippo was that guy for him his first two years in Philly," Breer told a fan in his weekly dive into the mailbag.
The other reason he thinks Chicago would be a good place for Wentz is one pointed out here at BearDigest.com, but one plenty of Bears fans have doubts about at this time.
"Also, Matt Nagy's as solid a quarterbacks guy as you could want, and there are some promising young pieces (Darnell Mooney, Cole Kmet)," Breer said.
Breer did understand the best reason for Wentz to favor the Colts over the Bears is the structure in place with Indianapolis.
"Conversely, in Chicago, the line needs, your No. 1 receiver's a free agent, the cap is a little messy and the future beyond this year is murky," Breer said.
Breer anticipates an end to all of this within a week, although we've heard this from numerous places in the past.
He added, he suspects Eagles GM Howie Roseman "...may have overplayed his hand a little on this one...."
READ: WHEN THIS TRADE STANDOFF COULD END AND WHO WENTZ FAVORS
The situation actually seems more set up for a standoff lasting until early-to-mid-March than something ending soon.
Roseman has waited this long and hasn't acquired what he wants, but the closer it comes to the absolute deadline—March 19 when Wentz's roster bonus of $10 million comes due—the more pressure reverts to Roseman.
However, if a different quarterback goes to another team sometime within the next week or two, then the pressure flips 180 degrees to the Bears and somewhat to the Colts. It's quarterback musical chairs.
READ: WHERE WILL IT ALL STAND WHEN THE QB CAROUSEL ENDS?
The Bears could become so desperate then to make the deal, they come crawling with first-round pick in hand for Roseman. So it makes more sense for Roseman to wait it out for another two to three weeks, or sometime around the March 9 deadline for tagging free agents.
Then the pressure really starts going to Roseman because free agency begins March 15 with the "legal tampering" period. Other quarterbacks become eligible for movement, while the list of teams looking for QBs also changes.
That change in dynamic would end any thought of a high return on Wentz. The Bears are only going to be able to wait so long before they look elsewhere, but we're nowhere near that date yet.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
