The Chicago Bears have a thorny quarterback situation for the upcoming season, so they baffled everyone in the Midwest and signed Andy Dalton. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans are about to have a standoff between disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson and management, but they wisely added Tyrod Taylor to their roster as an insurance policy against Watson sitting out the season.
Dalton signed a one-year deal with the Bears worth $10 million. Taylor signed a one-year deal with the Texans worth up to $12.5 million with incentives.
With NFL free agency under way, Ryan Fitzpatrick recently jumped teams as well. The Miami Dolphins didn’t include Fitzpatrick in their QB plans for the 2021 season, so he’ll shower the greater Washington DC area with a little bit of FitzMagic.
| NFL QB Shuffle |
| NEW TEAM |
OLD TEAM |
|
| Andy Dalton | Chicago Bears | Dallas Cowboys |
| Tyrod Taylor | Houston Texans | LA Chargers |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | Washington FT | Miami Dolphins |
| Carson Wentz | Indianapolis Colts | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Matt Stafford | LA Rams | Detroit Lions |
| Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | LA Rams |
In the offseason, the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions swapped quarterbacks in a trade that’s still sending waves throughout the league. The Rams gave up a swatch of picks and Jared Goff in order to acquire Matthew Stafford to help lead them to a Super Bowl run.
The Philadelphia Eagles finally punted on Carson Wentz after an ugly 2020 season. They want to develop Jalen Hurts, so they traded Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts had a vacancy at quarterback after Philip Rivers retired.
Chicago Busto with Trubisky and Foles
The Chicago Bears thought Nick Foles would be the answer to their quarterback problems. They were the second team duped by Foles’ magic. He came off the bench to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory and almost pulled off a magical run in the postseason the next year.
Foles signed a ridiculous free-agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he fractured his collarbone in the first series of the season. When rookie Gardner Minshew demonstrated he could be a decent quarterback in the NFL, the spend-thrift Jags shopped Foles to the highest bidder.
Last offseason, the Chicago Bears bit on the bait because they were ready to move on from a disastrous run by Mitch Trubisky. The Bears and the Jags worked out a trade for Foles.
However, Foles didn’t light it up like he did with the Eagles during their Super Bowl run. Things deteriorated so badly in Chicago that the Bears benched Foles in favor of Trubisky. In nine games last season, Foles threw 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In 10 games, Trubisky threw 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. With Foles and Trubisky, the Bears went 8-8 and backdoored a playoff berth, thanks to the addition of an extra wild-card team.
The Bears didn’t pick up a fifth-year option on Trubisky. Foles is under contract for two more seasons, but has a potential out in 2022.
A Ginger Monster of the Midway
The Bears knew they needed to address their QB situation in the offseason. They don’t have enough draft capital, like the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, to make a run at Deshaun Watson. Hey, give the Bears some credit because they attempted to contact the Seattle Seahawks about Russell Wilson. Last month, Wilson’s agent leaked to the press that an unhappy Wilson would waive his no-trade clause to play for four teams, including the Bears, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and Las Vegas Raiders.
The Seahawks told the Bears that Wilson wasn’t available. So, the Bears went with plan B. Yup, Andy Dalton. You know things are desperate for the Bears if they’re hoping Dalton provides stability to the franchise.
Andy Dalton did a bang-up job as a backup with the Dallas Cowboys last season. When Dak Prescott fractured his ankle in a gruesome injury, Mike McCarthy called Dalton into action. In 11 games with the Cowboys, Dalton tossed 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He went 4-5 as a starter in Dallas.
Dalton hasn’t even arrived in Chicago and superfans of Da Bears already hate him.
Watson Standoff Looms
The Houston Texans only had one quarterback on their roster, including Watson. The team insists they won’t trade Watson, even though he’s indicated he’d like to play with the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, or San Francisco 49ers. The Niners and Broncos don’t have enough stockpiled draft picks to compete with the pick-heavy Jets and Dolphins.
The Jets have the inside track with the #2 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. But if the Texans don’t come to their senses and trade Watson before the draft, things will get ugly because Watson will stick to his guns and sit out the season.
Tyrod Taylor Seeks Better Shot in Houston
The Texans wisely added Taylor as a backup who has experience as a starter. He started in Week 1 with the LA Chargers last season. Taylor cracked his ribs and received a painkiller injection hours before Week 2’s game. However, the injection punctured his lung and Taylor scratched a few minutes before kickoff. First-round draft pick Justin Herbert got a baptism by fire. The kid from Oregon more than held his own and went on to win the Rookie of the Year.
Taylor logged a decade in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and LA Chargers. The Ravens drafted him as a backup to Joey Flacco. Taylor finally earned a starting job with the Buffalo Bills in 2015. He passed for nearly 10K yards with 54 touchdowns and 20 picks.
With Herbert now the starting QB for the Chargers, Taylor needed to find a job. The Texans gig could be an ideal opportunity, especially if Watson sits out.
If the Texans trade Watson, Taylor could be facing stiff competition for the starting job. If the Jets include Sam Darnold in a trade for Watson, then Taylor and Darnold will have to slug it out in training camp. Let’s assume the #2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is also included in the Watson trade; then Taylor will find himself with another hot-shot rookie seeking to take his job. Those rookies could include Zack Wilson, Justin Fields, or Trey Lance.
