Reports: Bears to sign veteran quarterback Sanchez

Lacking a veteran presence at quarterback since Brian Hoyer left via free agency to join the San Francisco 49ers and Jay Cutler was waived, the Bears were set to fill that void late Thursday night with the addition of Mark Sanchez.

Though the Bears had yet to confirm the signing, it was reported by multiple outlets.

Sanchez's 72 NFL starts are 54 more than the Bears' anointed starter Mike Glennon, who was signed two weeks ago as an unrestricted free agent after four seasons with Tampa Bay.

The 30-year-old Sanchez was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft by the New York Jets, but he is considered strictly as experienced insurance behind Glennon. Sanchez started 62 games in his first four seasons but never produced a passer rating above 78.2 and threw 68 TD passes while tossing 69 interceptions.

Sanchez has started just two games in the past two seasons, including 2016, when he threw just 18 passes in Dallas as the Cowboys' backup to rookie Dak Prescott. In the two previous seasons, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Sanchez started 10 games for the Philadelphia Eagles, throwing 18 TD passes and 15 interceptions with an 86.6 passer rating.

Sanchez has been a much more effective quarterback in the playoffs. He was 4-2 as a starter in six postseason games in 2009 and '10, throwing 9 TD passes and 3 interceptions for a 94.3 passer rating.

The only other quarterback currently on the Bears' roster is Connor Shaw, who played impressively last preseason before suffering a broken leg in the third game. Shaw started one game as a rookie with Cleveland in 2014.