Hub Arkush: Bears fans have reason to be unhappy, but QB search isn’t over yet

It is easy to understand the angst, disappointment and even dread Bears fans currently are feeling.

But it’s important to note that those same fans allowing themselves to believe something that was never going to happen, that the Bears might acquire either Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson, created the majority of those feelings.

The Bears took a real run at Wilson. Predictably, they failed. Now the most vocal fans are ready to have Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy ridden out of town on a rail.

It’s not on Pace and Nagy that neither Wilson or Watson ever actually was available, and if you’re now disappointed you have no one to blame but yourself.

If the focus of your anger, however, is that Andy Dalton now will don the NFL’s most classic uniform and take Mitch Trubisky’s seat in the quarterback room, you have a legitimate gripe.

But take heart, Dalton doubters, there is no way the Bears are done working on the quarterback position for this season.

For starters, the premise that Dalton already has been penciled in as the starter on opening day of the season is totally false and based on nothing but the same kind of wild speculation that had the Bears landing Watson or Wilson.

Foles was faced with endless unusual and unprecedented challenges because of COVID-19 in 2020. He is far more familiar and experienced in Nagy’s system, and there has to be a competition for the job if both still are here at the end of July.

Their combined cap hit this year, about $16.6 million is only 60% or 70% of what one quality starter would be.

The Bears didn’t spend the past two months basing a 2021 plan that had Dalton as the best answer to the team’s long standing annual dilemma over the quarterback position.

They signed him because they never had any intentions of bringing back Mitch Trubisky – we’ll debate the efficacy of that decision at another time – and while they were dithering over Wilson their other reasonable options including Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jameis Winston, Tyrod Taylor and Jacoby Brissett all rapidly were becoming unavailable.

In fact, when they pulled the trigger on Dalton more than anything it was because their choice had basically come down to him or Mitch, for them no choice at all.

I am solidly on the fence as to whether Pace and Nagy will be a failed general manager and failed head coach in the next year or two, but they are not naïve enough to believe they had an improved football team or were good enough at quarterback to compete at the highest level when free agency and the 2021 league year began Wednesday.

My gut is telling me that as much as I hate the idea they are preparing to make a move in the draft to get the signal caller of their dreams in the first round if additional trips to the market over the next six weeks don’t bear fruit.

First, there are phone calls to be made to the 49ers and Raiders about Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota.

None of whom are likely to attain Wilson’s or Watson’s chops, but all are upgrades with much higher ceilings at this point than Foles or Dalton. They would come much cheaper than the two former options and either team likely would want either Dalton or Foles in the deal.

In fact, the 49ers were rumored to be the Bears stiffest competition for Dalton.

While I still don’t see it happening there also is the possibility that Wilson does get dealt after June 1. The Bears would be the frontrunner if that happened and Seattle would want one of the vets at the least as a bridge.

If they are unable to trade for a vet, are Pace and Nagy willing to bet their jobs with only Dalton and Foles as insurance?

Minimally they likely will hedge their bets by making a glitzy first-round draft move for a youngster who will need at least two years to arrive and might at least buy them an extra year.

Take heart Bears fans it still doesn’t seem likely to end well, but this Bears QB journey isn’t close to over yet.