The Chicago Bears paid handsomely to acquire Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos a few years ago, but the shine has officially worn off and Cutler is on notice in Chicago. But the question is, how serious are the Bears about pushing him to succeed and how thin is the ice he’s under. While Chicago is going to use him as their starter in 2013, they may be scanning for a replacement just incase things end like they did in 2012.
According to Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports, the Chicago Bears will work out NC State quarterback Mike Glennon on Tuesday and may end up targeting him in this week’s draft.
Hearing the Bears working out NC State QB Mike Glennon in Raleigh tomorrow. Hmm.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) April 23, 2013
The workout is incredibly last minute, so it’s impossible to know just exactly what the Bears are thinking. It could be a case where they’re just working Glennon out because they’ve run out of things to do, or it could be a sign that the team isn’t going to remain loyal to a guy just because of his name.
Just ask Brian Urlacher how that’s working for him.
Obviously, Cutler will have to colossally mess up in 2013 to be replaced by a rookie, but he’s in a contract season and he’s not going to stick around forever. Even if the Bears renew him, it won’t be to a massive deal unless he leads the Bears deep into the playoffs, in which case he’ll either take a smaller deal or walk at the end of the season.
Couple this with the fact that even if Cutler stays, Chicago’s backup quarterback situation is Josh McCown and Matt Blanchard, which does little in terms of confidence. Cutler is prone to injuries and a concussion he suffered last year showed the Bears how bad the situation behind him is. So while drafting Glennon as a replacement is one way to look at this, a more realistic way is to see Glennon as Cutler’s replacement in the case of an injury.
Still, the Bears working out Glennon is significant and points to Chicago being a sleeper team to go quarterback on the second day of the draft.