Bears Reportedly 'Focused' on Acquiring Andy Dalton or Nick Foles to Compete with Mitchell Trubisky
By Karl Rasmussen
After rumors emerged suggesting the Chicago Bears were close to reaching an agreement with free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, reports surfaced stating the contrary. Despite Chicago's wavering interest in Bridgewater, NFL insider Ed Werder claims they still have interest in a pair of veteran gunslingers.
Per Werder, the Bears are reportedly focused on making moves to land one of Andy Dalton or Nick Foles in order to provide competition under center for Mitchell Trubisky.
Source: #Bears are focused on acquiring Andy Dalton or Nick Foles - both veteran quarterbacks who have played for either Matt Nagy or members of coaching staff. There’s a sense in the organization that Mitchell Trubisky should be forced to compete for the starting position.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) March 16, 2020
Werder claims that there's a belief in Chicago that Trubisky should not be guaranteed the starting role, thus prompting their interest in Dalton and Foles, who no longer figure to be the starting quarterback for their current teams.
The Bengals, owner of the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, are expected to try to trade Dalton this offseason and usher in the Joe Burrow era. Dalton is due $17.5 million in 2020 in the last year of his deal with Cincinnati, so the Bears would be able to cut ties with him after one season if the experiment didn't work out.
Two QBs to watch for Chicago: Jacksonville's Nick Foles and Cincinnati's Andy Dalton. Could ride on where they get a better deal. https://t.co/Gce1vTMEaW
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 16, 2020
Meanwhile, the Jaguars are believed to favor second-year QB Gardner Minshew to Nick Foles, despite inking the latter to a massive four-year, $88 million deal just last offseason. Foles could be cut at a cost of $12.5 million after the 2020 season, however.
While Bridgewater would have been a welcome sight in the Windy City, it seems the team has quickly shifted its focus to other potential targets in order to challenge Trubisky for the starting role.