By signing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon, the Bears believe they have added a starter-grade quarterback to the roster. But the signing does not preclude the Bears from drafting a quarterback, and it does keep wide open the preferred draft option of “best player available” rather than drafting first for need.
With the starting-quarterback situation addressed, the Bears have the luxury of using a mid-round selection on a quarterback, the range where the Dallas Cowboys found Dak Prescott, the Seattle Seahawks found Russell Wilson and Washington found Kirk Cousins.
[MORE: Plenty of implications for Bears after signing of Mike Glennon]
Evaluations and projections of the 2017 quarterback class have been less than enthusiastic, although the only meaningful evaluation will play out in late April. Beyond the top four of Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer, Texas Tech's Pat Mahomes, North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky and Clemson's Deshaun Watson, a few quarterbacks could go after round one or early in round two (based on rankings via CBS Sports):
Brad Kaaya (Miami, 3rd round)
Nathan Peterman (Pitt, 4th round)
Davis Webb (Cal, 4th-5th round)
Jerod Evans (Virginia Tech, 5th-6th round)
Chad Kelly (Ole Miss, 7th round)
The Bears also could target the 2018 draft class, which may be headlined by USC's Sam Darnold and UCLA's Josh Rosen. But regardless of the Glennon signing and the 2018 options, the Bears are not expected to emerge from a third straight draft without a quarterback.
John Mullin contributed.