Bears’ Jimmy Clausen tosses 73-yard touchdown to Chris Williams (GIF)
One of the bigger position battles to monitor in the remaining weeks of the preseason for the Chicago Bears is the backup quarterback competition between Jordan Palmer and Jimmy Clausen.
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Palmer entered the Bears preseason opener as the No. 2 option behind Jay Cutler with Clausen as the No. 3 quarterback after signing with the team this spring.
After one preseason game, the former Notre Dame quarterback may have surpassed Palmer on the depth chart as he showcases his big arm and made sound decisions with the ball.
Need further proof of that big arm?
Clausen connected with Chris Williams who is hoping to make the team as a reserve wide receiver and return man for this 73-yard touchdown in the third quarter vs. the Eagles.
The backup quarterback job turned into a fruitful one last year as Josh McCown excelled in relief of Cutler last year after he went down with injury and turned five outstanding starts into a $10 million contract to be the starting quarterback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cutler has not played a 16-game season since his first season in Chicago in 2009 and in that time since being traded from the Denver Broncos has played in 15, 10, 15 and 11 games for the Bears, so odds are that either Palmer or Clausen will start at some point this year.
If that’s the case, Clausen may get the first crack based on the albeit very early production in the preseason.