Each NFL team’s QB we expected better from
By Brad Weiss
Chicago Bears: Cade McNown
After an All-American career at UCLA, Cade McNown went into the NFL with plenty of question marks surrounding him. While McNown was known as an accurate passer for the Bruins, he did not have the kind of arm strength that makes NFL scouts salivate, though he did end up being selected in the first round by the Chicago Bears.
The Bears made McNown the No. 12 overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, and for a brief moment, he looked to be the answer at quarterback for the franchise. The highest drafted Bears quarterback since Jim McMahon, McNown held out at first, collecting $22 million, and would begin his career as the backup to Shane Matthews.
McNown would eventually take over as the starter in Chicago, and on December 19 of his rookie season, he put together one of the better games the franchise had seen from a rookie quarterback. Against the Detroit Lions, McNown threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns, and for a moment, he looked every bit the part of a first round pick.
After being handed the starting job in 2000, McNown struggled to put wins together, and when the team fell to 1-6, he lost the starting job. The franchise would end up trading him to the Miami Dolphins in 2001, and he finished his career in Chicago with only 25 games, 12 starts, and 16 touchdowns against 19 interceptions.