Backup QB Options with More Experience

The two backup QBs to their coming rookie starter have eight total games of starting experience but there are still bargain options in the free agency market.

The Bears went through the main phase of free agency by adding only Brett Rypien as the third quarterback.

Combined with Tyson Bagent's four starts last year, they'll be backing up a rookie quarterback with eight total NFL starts between two backup QBs.

Considering they are now down in the range of $10.9 million of effective salary cap space according to Overthecap.com, it seems unlikely they'd add veteran free agent quarterback help. 

Then again, there are ways to recover cap space through restructuring and the team has plenty of choices for something of this sort. Besides, many of those left would not cost much.

With only four draft picks, it might be a case where they consider undrafted free agent QBs. They did get Bagent that way last year.

While Rypien has no more starting experience than Bagent, he does have one small edge in that after his first three years in Denver he was in a similar offense with Sean McVay and the Rams at the outset of last season before being waived and signing with the practice squad in Seattle. He briefly learned Shane Waldron's offense before he was signed away from it by the Jets and finished the season there.

Tyson Bagent is looking bulked up this offseason. pic.twitter.com/99KGsLo7Ic

— Bears History (@ChiBearsHistory) March 19, 2024

Having someone in the quarterback room with experience in the offense is of value, but it's not like Rypien is an expert at the attack. He did play in two Rams games in a similar offense.

It's not a lot of experience to back up a rookie starter.

If they're looking around to add experience, there remain a few options still in free agency. Not all of them are ideal fits but most would be inexpensive enough to fit in their budget.

Ryan Tannehill

The former Titans starter is 36 and under normal circumstances someone with 151 starts and a 91.2 passer rating can't be signed for bargain rates. However, Spotrac.com has him projected now for just $4.9 million in the late market. Tannehill's experience is far better than anything a team could normally expect for that kind of money. He did have a poor 78.5 passer rating last year before Will Levis took over with the Titans. The thing is, Tannehill was hardly the Titans' big problem. The entire team collapsed last year. This would be a real bargain and the experience is ideal to back up a rookie.

Consider this: The Bears expect to have a defense and all the pieces in place on offense to let even a young QB succeed. But if the rookie is injured like Anthony Richardson with Indianapolis last year?

It would be a far better option than putting either one of two QBs with four games of experience. Doing that for an extended period would be putting up the white flag on the season.

Signing a veteran like Tannehill gives a team the chance to win over the long haul.

Carson Wentz

Not a real team builder based on his background, but he's definitely been successful in his past as a passer and starter. He has 40 touchdown throws interceptions since leaving the Eagles and this would be his fouth team since 2020. He beat Justin Fields' Bears in 2022 at Soldier Field.

He's definitely another experienced option and the season with the Rams last year gave him expertise with McVay's and Waldron's attack. Last season he played for a bargain rate of $1.315 million.

Blaine Gabbert

This is where the cutoff exists between experience and unsuccessful experience. A 14-35 career record as starter isn't impressive by any means, but he did start one game and win for the Chiefs with an 18-of-35 effort last year. Gabbert has thrown for only 70 passes since 2018 so that one game probably did not entirely clear off the cobwebs.

Kyle Allen

It's somewhat surprising he is still on the market considering his experience with numerous offenses and even for one year as starter. He had to play in 2019 with Carolina for 12 games, who five of them and posted a 62% completion rate and 6.8 yards per attempt with an 80.0 passer rating. A year later in Washington he started four times and put his 13 games of experience in two years to good use by posting a 99.3 passerr rating, 69% completions, four TDs and one interception. Since then he has started only twice and that was with Lovie Smith's Texans team that made the Bears' first-round pick possible. So those didn't go well. He was with Buffalo last year.

Brian Hoyer

It would be his second time around in Chicago and at 39 you'd have to think retirement is a better option for him. He looked like he had retired already in the game he started against the Bears for the Raiders last year.

Nate Sudfeld

A Lions backup last year, he has rarely played in his career and has thrown only 37 passes in four years.

A.J. McCarron

The fomrer Bengals backup threw five passes last year and it was his first time passing in a game since 2019. He's thrown 179 passes in a nine-year career.

Matt Barkley

Like with Hoyer, it would be his second time around with the Bears but he seems an unlikely player to rturn.

Garrett Gilbert

A former Cowboys backup and he has started twice while throwing only 75 times in six years. he's the last of the players on the available list who really has any sorrt of experience.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven