Shoulder injury likely ends Cutler's career with Chicago Bears
The extent of the labrum tear in Jay Cutler's right shoulder will determine how many NFL games he misses and if he will need surgery, but it's likely he has thrown his final pass for the Chicago Bears.
Cutler is under contract through 2020, but he has already been paid all of the guaranteed money in his seven-year, $126.7 million contract. If the Bears waive him before net season, they would incur a $2 million salary cap hit. If they keep him, his cap number would be $16 million.
At 2-8, the Bears are almost certain to have a top-10 draft pick, which they are expected to use on their quarterback of the future.
Details of Cutler's labrum tear were originally reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garofolo. The Bears and Cutler are believed to be seeking a second opinion. Although it's possible Cutler could avoid surgery, the Bears are preparing to finish the season without their quarterback for most of the last eight seasons.
The Bears are expected to re-sign 26-year-old quarterback David Fales off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad to back up Matt Barkley, who is expected to start against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in place of Cutler.
Barkley has never started an NFL game. He relieved Brian Hoyer in the Bears' Oct. 20 loss to the Packers in Green Bay, completing 6 of 15 passes for 81 yards, 2 interceptions, no touchdowns and an 18.3 passer rating.
The 6-foot-2, 227-pound Barkley did not throw a pass last season and threw just 1 in 2014. In 2013, when he was drafted in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Eagles out of USC, he played in three games, completing 30 of 49 passes for 300 yards, with 4 interceptions and no touchdowns for a 44.6 passer rating.
Fales spent two seasons with the Bears after they drafted him in the sixth round out of San Jose in 2014, but he has never played in a regular-season game. He was waived during this year's training camp after completing 4 of 10 passes for 69 yards in the preseason finale. Fales then signed to the Ravens' practice squad, where he was reunited with former Bears head coach Marc Trestman, who was Baltimore's offensive coordinator until he was fired Oct. 20.
The Bears already have two quarterbacks on injured reserve. Brian Hoyer (fractured arm), who started five games after Cutler was sidelined with a sprained right thumb early in the season, and Connor Shaw, who suffered a fractured arm in the third preseason game.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Josh Woodrum was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 15. He was a four-year starter at Liberty.
• The Bears added cornerback De'Vante Bausby, and wide receiver Dres Anderson to the practice squad and waived wide receiver Darius Jennings from the practice squad.
Bausby played in three games for the Bears earlier this season.
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