After spending a full season coaching Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, John Fox had some positive things to say about him as reported by Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.
“I feel a lot better about Jay. … I saw way more about his mental toughness. I saw way more about how he can absorb an offense and execute it under pressure. I think that speaks volumes for how successful he was on third downs, which is a tough down for a quarterback in the NFL. But I was very, very pleased with what I saw and what we have to work with going forward.”
Fox noted these observations while in attendance at the NFL Scouting Combine. Despite the Bears’ lowly six wins and finishing dead last in the NFC North, Cutler did show vast improvements in multiple areas.
In 2015, Cutler completed 64.4 percent of his passes, which represents the second-best completion rate of his career. He also threw only 11 interceptions, his fewest when starting at least 15 games.
Cutler will now be guiding the offense under his former quarterback coach Dowell Loggains, who was hired to replace offensive coordinator and now-Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase.
Per Dickerson, Loggains will be the sixth offensive coordinator Cutler has had since 2009 when the Denver Broncos traded him to the Bears. For good measure, Fox is also Cutler’s third head coach.
Fox’s confidence in Cutler marks for the first time in a few years that a new quarterback hasn’t been a topic of conversation for Chicago. Nevertheless, general manager Ryan Pace said the team “would not hesitate” to select one in the 2016 NFL draft if one they like falls, according to Dickerson.
Cutler, who turns 33 in April, has four more years remaining on the $126.7 million contract he signed in 2014.