The Chicago Bears decided to move on from Jay Cutler, signing both Mike Glennon and Mark Sanchez in free agency.
Glennon was signed with the intent that he would start for the team this season. General manager Ryan Pace has since confirmed the pecking order, which clearly designates Sanchez as Glennon’s backup.
“Mike Glennon is our starting quarterback and Sanchez I see as a really good solid No. 2 quarterback,” Pace said per Larry Mayer of the team’s official website. “I like him in this role for a lot of reasons and one of them is the experience that he has. He’s been through the highs and lows of our league. He’s played in some big markets. He’s dealt with the challenges. He’s dealt with success.”
Sanchez’s career has been quite colorful. He has gone from leading the New York Jets to the playoffs to backing up the backup as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
Pace, however, sees Sanchez as a very big addition to his team.
“He’s the kind of player that exudes confidence. I like that about him. He’s knowledgeable. He’s smart, and him and Mike have already kind of clicked. They’re together and they’re organizing workouts on their own and those kind of things are important.”
The nice thing about Sanchez is he does truly seem to go with the flow, especially considering he was originally a No. 5 overall pick by the Jets in 2009. He could certainly mentor Glennon in several aspects.
For now though, the Bears appear set on putting all of their eggs in Glennon’s basket. Glennon has played in a total of only 21 games, passing for 30 touchdowns compared to 15 interceptions in his young career.
The task at hand for the Bears organization would be to surround him with enough talent to rise from their basement-level status after finishing in fourth place the last three seasons in the NFC North.
It will be interesting to see if Glennon remains under center over the long haul should the team struggle in 2017. If that is not the case, then Sanchez might move up a notch.