Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears: 5 Possible Replacements for Jay Cutler

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jay Cutler could miss some time with a thumb injury for the Chicago Bears. Who should they look to bring in to replace him now and possibly moving forward?

Chicago Bears starting quarterback Jay Cutler left the Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles with an injury to his right hand that will likely cause him to miss time. Thus, the Bears are possibly looking for a replacement.

Before the season, Chicago signed former Houston Texans starter Brian Hoyer, who was ranked as the sixth best free agent quarterback of this past offseason’s class by WalterFootball. They noted that even though Hoyer crapped his pants against the Kansas City Chiefs in Houston’s embarrassing playoff loss at home, Hoyer played mostly mistake-free football, throwing 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 2015.

Can the Bears succeed with Hoyer as the starter over the next 14 games? Probably not. Hoyer will certainly keep Chicago somewhat competitive in the majority of those games, but he doesn’t have the mobility to make up for that porous offensive line. He also doesn’t have the arm that Cutler does to make those big throws down the field.

There are a handful of available free agents that the Bears could pick up. I could’ve listed:

… and been done with it. But, that’s a copout. Those quarterbacks are not on rosters for multiple reasons. Vick’s a turnover machine who gets injured too often. Flynn is only successful with the Packers. Freeman’s fallen off a cliff after an impressive rookie campaign. And Johnny Football would cause Chicago’s locker room to explode. The only viable option might be T.J. Yates. In short, they’re floppy band-aids, not sealant.

The Vikings pulled off an amazing trade to get former Philadelphia Eagle Sam Bradford and they’re now poised to be a legitimate contender in the NFC North. I don’t see the Bears pulling off that type of trade, but Chicago could land someone that is a better stop-gap than Hoyer. In the process, the Bears could also find a stop-gap that could wind up being a long-term solution.

There are plenty of young quarterbacks out there who could develop into a franchise player: AJ McCarron, Brett Hundley, Connor Cook, Cardale Jones, etc. There are also some veteran journeymen who could be decent game managers: Drew Stanton, Derek Anderson, Matt Moore, Chad Henne, etc.

The writing’s on the wall for Cutler. He’s most likely done in Chicago. So, here are some quarterbacks that should help the healing and rebuilding begin for the Bears franchise.

Nov 1, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to throw a pass against the Oakland Raiders in the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

5. Geno Smith

No, I’m not joking. What an education Geno Smith received in the shadow of the Big Apple. From a rookie year in which he took over for an injured Mark Sanchez and threw 21 picks to an offseason in which he got clocked by teammate IK Enemkpali over a non-reimbursement totaling three digits, it’s safe to say, Geno has most likely learned his lesson.

In Smith’s rookie season, he did lead the Jets on five game-winning drives and gave fans a glimpse of his potential. He’s definitely had his bright spots and memorable moments, but the Jets ended up signing Ryan Fitzpatrick and that’s not a strong vote of confidence in Smith.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old had 13 starts (out of 31 appearances) in which his passer rating was above average. His last extensive action came in a game against Oakland in 2015 when he relieved Ryan Fitzpatrick and threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-20 loss.

Rumors are swirling that after Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown went down, the Browns might be into dealing for Geno. There have been signs the Jets would be willing to swap Smith and that might be coming closer to a reality with Cutler’s unceremonious departure.

Nov 8, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Landry Jones (3) looks to pass against the Oakland Raiders during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 38-35. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

4. Landry Jones

Jones missed all of 2014 and hasn’t seen much playing time since being drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of 2013. Scouts believed Jones had long-term potential. In limited playing time in 2015, Landry tossed for 513 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions to earn a 77.3 rating. That was only in relief of Michael Vick who was filling in for an injured Ben Roethlisberger.

The 27-year-old is entering the final season of his rookie contract and will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2016 season. It can’t be a good sign that Pittsburgh brought in Zach Mettenberger after he was released by the San Diego Chargers, but Landry’s still listed as the No. 2 on the depth chart.

The former Oklahoma Sooner was a four-year starter in college, throwing for more than 16,000 yards and 123 touchdowns. Those stats are good enough make him the school’s all-time passing leader.

Landry’s surely a giant risk considering his lack of snaps, but could be the gunslinger that cleanses Chicago’s palate following the sour taste left by Cutler. We’ve seen what a team can get out of Hoyer. Now, it’s time to give Jones a shot without a leash. The season appears all but lost, so experimentation is just what the doctor ordered.

Aug 16, 2013; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel (3) drops back to pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Vikings 20-16. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

3. E.J. Manuel

The 26-year-old former first round draft pick out of Florida State has a record of 6-10 and lost his job to Tyrod Taylor. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract as the Bills declined the fifth-year option for 2017, which means E.J. will be a free agent after this season. You could blame E.J.’s troubles on playing in Buffalo where offense has been an afterthought for years.

Manuel notched an above average passer rating in eight of 16 starts over the previous three seasons with four of those topping 100. His career passer rating is below average (78.6) as his interceptions nearly match his touchdowns (15 to 19), but he’s completing nearly 60 percent of passes, which is on par with Eli Manning and Cam Newton. E.J.’s also averaged around 3.5 yards per rush, which will come in handy when protection surely breaks down.

E.J. caught a bad break when he missed five games to injury in 2013 then got benched for Kyle Orton in 2014. It’s clear Manuel didn’t connect with Buffalo, but Chicago presents a new opportunity to redeem himself. There are some who believe the Bills could get two first-round draft picks for him, but it’s hard to imagine a team giving that up for the 18th ranked backup.

Nov 2, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon (8) throws a pass against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 22-17. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

2. Mike Glennon

Glennon’s also a 26-year-old QB who was selected in the 2013 NFL Draft along with Manuel. Mike left the board in the third round and has gone 5-13 in 18 starts. Like E.J., Mike will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2016 season.

His completion percentage is just shy of 60 percent and he’s thrown almost twice as many touchdowns as interceptions. Glennon’s career QB rating is 83.7 and he’s posted an above average rating in eight of 19 games with three surpassing 100. His 11.1 yards per completion over less than two years of playing time is better than Alex Smith and Sam Bradford.

The scouting report on Glennon out of NC State was favorable. Scouts graded him out as an eventual starter and NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks called him “a future NFL franchise quarterback”.

Before the Vikings pulled the trigger on Sam Bradford, Mike Glennon was the frontrunner with Minnesota fans, getting 28% of the vote. That outpaced Colin Kaepernick, Michael Vick, Mark Sanchez, Zach Mettenberger, and Geno Smith.

On Draft Day and when Tony Romo went down, there were reports Dallas had standing offers to acquire Glennon, but the Bucs apparently wanted to hold onto him. According to Adam Schein, Glennon also attracted the Rams, Broncos, and Jets back in early April.

Tampa might ask for too much, but, at this point, Chicago has to be desperate enough to sit at the table.

Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) warms up before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

1. Nick Foles

Foles has the third highest single-season passing rating of all-time in 2013. That season, he threw for 27 touchdowns against two interceptions while his touchdown percentage, yards per completion and yards per attempt led the league.

Over his three seasons with the Eagles, Nick went 14-9, but lost favor with the fans as 2014 wore on despite leading three game-winning drives. The main knock on Nick’s play was his lack of mobility.

The Eagles would then trade Foles to the Rams for Sam Bradford. While with the Rams in 2015, Foles went 4-7 in 11 starts, throwing seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions. The organization decided to draft Jared Goff out of Cal and Foles justifiably wanted out.

The track record for quarterbacks under Jeff Fisher since Steve McNair has been abominable. If fingers of blame have to get doled out, I’m looking Fisher’s way. Now you see that Goff isn’t even suiting up and the claim against Fish becomes stronger.

The Chiefs signed Foles to a one-year deal with a club option of more than $10 million for 2017. Seeing as Alex Smith is signed through 2018 and continuing to play well, Nick’s long-term chance for a starting position is not with KC.

With a career QB rating of 87.3, Foles deserves a shot in Chicago.