Chicago Bears: Andy Dalton The Odds-On Favorite To Land In The Windy City, According To ‘Sportsline’
If the Chicago Bears bring in some help at quarterback this offseason, one oddsmaker thinks the best bet is Andy Dalton. Dalton is technically still under team control with the Cincinnati Bengals, but rumors around the NFL have been predicting he’ll be on another team by the start of the 2020 season. Sportsline believes the Bears, despite already having a starting quarterback, will be in the market for a veteran signal-caller.
The site points out the team’s general manager, Ryan Pace, talked about the franchise’s dedication to trying to make Trubisky better and that the Bears will stand behind their young quarterback for the foreseeable future. Despite that, the oddsmaker sees a very good chance Chicago will bring in someone to give the former Tarheel some competition, or at the very least an able backup.
Sportsline says it’s taking Pace at his word, meaning the team won’t be in the running for Tom Brady or Phil Rivers. It would also seem to mean rumors of Derek Carr — previously reported on by The Inquisitr — being targeted should the Las Vegas Raiders put him on the market are now entirely false. All three of those QBs would almost certainly be anointed the starter ahead of Trubisky.
Andy Dalton leads a pack of prospects that are viewed as good enough to start in the NFL, but bad enough they wouldn’t be automatic starters. Sportsline currently gives the Bengals’ quarterback +300 odds of being shipped to or signed by the Chicago Bears. A close second is Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota at +400.
The “field” — meaning anyone not already listed — is in third place at +500 and Case Keenum has the fourth-best chances of being on the Bears in 2020. Alex Smith (+900), Jameis Winston (+1200), Phillip Rivers (+1500), Derek Carr (+1800) and Teddy Bridgewater (+2000) round out the list as the long shots for various reasons. Smith might be the most notable name the oddsmaker scored mainly because there’s still not any confirmation he’ll be ready to play in 2020. Tom Brady is a no-bet, making the inclusion of Rivers and Carr interesting at the very least.
Both Andy Dalton and Mitch Trubisky had up and down 2019 seasons for different reasons. Dalton started the year as the starting quarterback for the Bengals but was benched in favor of rookie quarterback Ryan Finley once it became clear Cincinnati was more interested in seeing what it had for the future than winning in the present. Dalton finished the year throwing for 3,494 yards, 16 touchdowns to 14 interceptions, and a 59.5 completion percentage. That percentage was Dalton’s worst since his 2011 rookie season.
Mitch Trubisky played in 15 games in 2019 — missing one due to injury — and saw a regression from his 2018 stats in all the major categories. In an 8-8 season for the Chicago Bears, he threw just 17 touchdown passes.
