As was written by Sports Mockery and other media outlets, it appears the Bears plan to sign 27-year old veteran quarterback Mike Glennon in free agency. Odds are they should be successful in that mission. Most fear this is just the team trying to take the cheap, easy way out of having to spend a high draft choice at the position. However, there is another method that was also referenced they could be doing.
That being the double down approach. Put simply the Bears sign Glennon and then use a high pick on a rookie then have them compete for the starting job. This gives the team maximum opportunities to find their starter of the future. There could be a small alteration to that plan. They may want to use Glennon as a buffer to buy time while they develop a rookie they deem not ready to start.
This is where the absence of Watson starts to make at least a little sense. Of the top quarterbacks in this draft class, he is the one most would agree is closest to starting immediately. This due to his considerable game experience and advanced fundamentals. The team who drafts him likely would end up playing him right away.
That is not the case for any of the other quarterbacks. Particularly the ones the Bears have met with. There is also another thing that separates them. Those four have greater physical upside than Watson does.
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Kizer
Mike Mayock: “I think he has the most upside, the highest ceiling. But he is 12-11 as a starter at Notre Dame. He played a lot of bad football with the game on the line in the fourth quarter this year. That is not acceptable. But he is 6-5, 235. He has that kind of prototypical franchise quarterback look, a Phillip Rivers type … if he gets everything right.”
Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes has phenomenal upside with a huge arm. He has consistency issues, mechanic issues, and a lot of his game is improv
— Eliot Crist (@EliotCrist) February 13, 2017
Trubisky
Lance Zierlein (NFL.com): “Trubisky will have to become much more pocket aware and do a better job of recognizing and attacking blitzes to back NFL defensive coordinators off. He hasn’t put all the pieces together yet, but the puzzle is all right in front. Trubisky projects as a good starting quarterback with a high floor and the potential to be great.”
Kaaya
Kaaya is a natural QB – his upside is WAY higher https://t.co/85Q7yoS8ff
— Josh Baumgard (@joshbaumgard) September 26, 2016
Up to this point the argument that Watson has had in regards to being the best quarterback in the draft have had nothing to do with his actual physical talent. He gets extra points for his experience, success and leadership qualities. The problem with those arguments is they often aren’t enough at the pro level. Since 1970 just four of the quarterbacks who won a national championship went on to have an above average NFL career.
When kept to a pure upside argument, Watson loses ground. He’s athletic for sure but not big and his arm can be called solid. Far from very good or great. He is what they would call a “high floor” prospect. Likely to at least be a dependable starter in the NFL but just how much better can he become?
It doesn’t look like there is much left to unlock in terms of potential. Meanwhile it appears that guys like Mahomes, Kizer and Trubisky haven’t even scratched the surface of their capabilities. What they’ve lacked is proper development. Experts believe they can reach immense heights, but will require time and patience.
Time that could be afforded perhaps by signing a veteran QB in free agency who can start for a year or two?
It’s not exactly an insane idea. Sign Glennon to man the offense and draft somebody like Mahomes or Kizer to hone within the structure of a pro scheme. Give them a chance to absorb advanced fundamentals and play sheets before throwing them into the fire. It worked with Aaron Rodgers. It worked with Philip Rivers and it worked with Dan Marino.
Can Watson be at the level of those guys? In all honesty no. Those others have shown flashes of such capability. If the Bears really chose not to meet with Watson, it may have tipped their hand for what their real plan at the quarterback position might be this year.
