The Chicago Bears are coming off another disappointing finish to the 2023 NFL season with missing the postseason for the third straight year. The Bears finished fourth in the NFC North with seven wins and ten losses. After a horrid start to the season by only winning one game out of the first six, the Bears finished off the last six games with four wins.
Continuous struggles on offense for the Chicago Bears lead to third year quarterback Justin Fields and Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy losing their respective jobs. With Getsy fired and running the Las Vegas Raiders offense now, new offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, will be calling plays on that side of the ball in Chicago.
Waldron, coming from the Sean McVay tree in Los Angeles, spent four seasons on the Rams staff. Over the last three years, Waldron was the Offensive Coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks. In his time in Seattle, He helped develop NFL journeyman, Geno Smith, into a full-time starter.
The Bears selected quarterback, Caleb Williams, out of the University of Southern California with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams is widely thought to be the next generational quarterback of the National Football League, drawing comparisons to quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady.
Williams, early in the offseason programs, has struggled to look like the gunslinger he was in his college career. It is not uncommon for rookie quarterbacks to struggle early on. With a new play caller and play book, it will take time for Williams to understand and thrive the way he did in college.
With Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien, and Austin Reed currently as the backup options in Chicago, which is a clear concern if something were to happen to Williams. Rookie quarterbacks in the NFL are typically paired with a veteran to help guide them along. Of the three quarterbacks behind Williams, they combine for only eight starts in the National Football League.
Ryan Tannehill Named Potential Backup to Caleb Williams For Chicago Bears
ESPN recently highlighted the potential connection between the Bears and veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Despite Tannehill’s age—he will be thirty-six before the 2024 season—he brings experience, having started 151 games over the past eleven seasons. Over his duration in the NFL, Tannehill totaled 34881 passing yards with 216 passing touchdowns to 115 interceptions. Not often are teams presented with an opportunity to have a backup quarterback with this much experience.
In 2023, Tannehill’s performance with the Titans indicated a decline. He threw four touchdowns and seven interceptions in ten games, and an early-season high ankle sprain did not help his situation. The Titans benched Tannehill in favor of rookie Will Levis.
Is age a factor or was Tannehill’s injury at fault for his bad play last season? Regardless, he would be an excellent option for a competitive and dependable backup quarterback to the young budding star in the windy city. With Tannehill’s knowledge of the game, the Bears organization would be in a better position if the second-string quarterback were needed.
