GM Ryan Pace didn’t mince words at his latest press conference. He made one thing clear. The plan for 2021 is for Andy Dalton to be the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears. They feel he has the leadership, decision-making, experience, and accuracy they were looking for at the position. Head coach Matt Nagy echoed those beliefs, saying he couldn’t wait to start working with the former three-time Pro Bowler.
People couldn’t believe how positive the two men sounded about a guy who was a backup last year. A guy who in truth was the epitome of average most of his career. They can’t possibly think that.
Here’s the thing. What exactly were they supposed to say? “This isn’t all that great but he’s the best we can do right now.” Of course not. That would be a complete insult to the player and kill any hopes of making the relationship work before it barely began. In reality, the Bears understand their situation better than people think. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN laid it out on a recent SportsCenter.
The Bears are happy with Dalton but aren’t delusional about his ceiling.
“I’m told inside the building there with the coaches, they are thrilled with the Dalton pick because when it came to free agency, they broke down all the potential starters. You had the Jameis Winstons, Ryan Fitzpatrick. Dalton, I’m told, was very high on their list.
They felt like they’ve been churning out eight-win seasons, despite having some spotty quarterback play. They think that just capable play with Dalton can really elevate them to a new level and with reuniting with former offensive coordinator Bill Lazor in Cincinnati, they think they can produce there.”
This isn’t totally crazy. Last season, the Bears did not get average quarterback play. They got below-average at best. Mitch Trubisky finished 20th in passer rating at 93.5. That was with the aid of playing mostly bottom 15 defenses. Nick Foles was even worse at 29th with an 80.8. Dalton had a 95.1 rating over the final seven games he started for the Cowboys last season.
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The last time Dalton and Lazor were together? The quarterback threw 46 touchdowns to 19 interceptions in 25 games. Trubisky needed 38 games to crack the 46-TD mark. So it was a fairly productive combination. Logic would dictate if the Bears continue to play good defense and get better quarterback play that they’ll win more games.
Did Andy Dalton arrive a year too late is the real question?
It’s hard to know if the Bears defense will still be what people expect this coming season. They just changed coordinators again with Chuck Pagano retiring and the untested Sean Desai taking over. If that weren’t enough, they’ve lost three starters in their secondary. Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine were cut while Tashaun Gipson became a free agent.
On top of all that? Key members of their front seven like Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Robert Quinn, and Danny Trevathan are pushing into their 30s. It’s hard to know if they have the capability to put another good season together. Especially with what could be a far less effective secondary. So while Andy Dalton may improve the offensive output, it might be too late for it to really matter.
This doesn’t even take into account the schedule they play.
NFL.com recently revealed Chicago has the third-toughest slate of opponents in 2021. This includes the defending champion Buccaneers and six other teams that were in the playoffs this past January. Considering Dalton is 0-4 in the playoffs as a professional? That isn’t welcome information. Yet it’s not like the Bears have many options. They can’t get high enough to draft somebody and it doesn’t appear the Russell Wilson dream will materialize.
So they have to make it work with Dalton, even if he is average. Whether they agree with fans doesn’t matter. He is the best they can do, like it or not.
