What next for the Bears after Glennon?
The Bears are counting on Mike Glennon to be their starting quarterback in 2017.
After that, who knows?
For now, Glennon is the undisputed starter. But, since Connor Shaw is the only other quarterback on the roster, there's a strong likelihood that the Bears will draft a quarterback to eventually challenge/replace Glennon.
The Bears hope Glennon plays well enough to allow a new quarterback to be developed and brought along slowly. And that could happen. Glennon is only 27 and has 18 NFL starts worth of experience. He was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 13-game starter as a 23-year-old rookie. But Glennon has thrown just 11 passes since the end of the 2014 season, after which first overall draft pick Jameis Winston was anointed the new starter.
While there are plenty of questions about Glennon, there are none about his arm strength, which is considerable. Glennon is football smart and intelligent off the field. He will learn the Bears' offense quickly, and at 6-foot-7, he sees the field well from an ideal vantage point.
What Glennon isn't is athletic.
"I don't think anyone is going to mistake me for Michael Vick or anyone of that nature," Glennon said through a smile. "But I feel like I move well enough. Look at guys like Tom Brady, like Peyton Manning, like essentially every quarterback that has won the Super Bowl the past however-many years. There are guys that probably are in the same ballpark as me as far as being an athlete."
Shaw is an excellent athlete, but he's barely 6 feet tall and has marginal arm strength. Bears coaches were impressed by his mobility, work ethic and leadership in the preseason, but he suffered a season-ending fractured leg in the third preseason game.
There's a lot to like about the 25-year-old Shaw as a backup. He was 27-5 as a starter at South Carolina and threw 24 TD passes and 1 interception as a senior.
Quarterbacks drafted by the Bears in the last 10 years
Year Rd. Player School
2014 6 David Fales San Jose State
2011 5 Nathan Enderle Idaho
2010 6 Dan LeFevour Cent. Michigan
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