(670 The Score) It's a silly exercise to debate whom the Bears should pursue as their next quarterback until we know what the goal of the acquisition is. Not that something like that is going to stop us, of course.
But really, that's still the biggest piece missing from any of these recently discussed possibilities that have been equal parts fanciful and tiresome.
Nobody has said so explicitly, but the appearance is that both general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy were spared only temporarily, pending a return to the playoffs at a minimum and possibly even going so far as to expect that they win a game once there. It's no small task, especially considering the Bears have what looks for now to be among the most daunting schedules in the NFL.
And it leaves other considerations aside too, such as upgrading at offensive tackle and wide receiver and slot corner and running back and safety and retaining their kicker and punter while the salary cap shrinks. Forget all that at the moment and focus on the single most important position in team sports, the very one the Bears tend to get wrong, historically and often spectacularly.
Mitchell Trubisky is done, while Nick Foles is here ... and bad. It's possible that Nagy has convinced himself that he's still right about Foles and envisions him excelling behind competent pass protection, but his glaring lack of both mobility and timing was jarring, and none of it was helped by sideline conflict and issues with getting plays called properly.
So that leads the Bears to their interest in the very next Eagles' bust-out with a millstone of a contract in Carson Wentz, again for the same misplaced Foles reasons as system compatibility and relationship with John DeFilippo, a former coach. But ... why?
If the Bears are trying to win right now, what good does it do to swap in a quarterback who now can't perform due to some combination of physical and emotional damage, who got both his coach and now himself fired amid toxic squabbling and leadership questions? Why are the Bears still on the phone? Why give up valuable assets for him? It makes even less sense in the medium term, then, surrendering any draft picks at all. Just sign Ryan Fitzpatrick or Tyrod Taylor and be done with it, if that's the case, giving up nothing extra and spending less money to sign a better passer and then hoping for enough good luck to save jobs.
Sam Darnold at least has some viable upside left and doesn't have teammates whispering to reporters that he's a thin-skinned and selfish phony.
There are a few names loosely connected to the Bears who make sense, even if they're expensive. Matthew Stafford was one who did, as would be Matt Ryan if he becomes available. Also Derek Carr, because he's proved more than competent and is an obvious upgrade.
Then there are the probably-no-way guys, for whom it would be reasonable to part with multiple first-round picks and more regardless of the envisioned future. Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson would stabilize Chicago's quarterback spot for the first time in forever and immediately place the Bears on a different competitive tier. In the NFL, either you have the guy or you don't, and either one of those would be the guy.
And yet we're resigned to believe that neither is coming here.
Instead it will be somebody significantly worse who's tasked impossibly with having to save everything -- and hold off the wrath of enough McCaskeys finally choosing to forego continuity and collaboration for actual winning.
This is what it looks like when people are coaching and general managing for their respective jobs, evincing obvious desperation so easily detectible by counterparts in the market. There are big moves available that one could argue make actual football sense, but they're the least likely to happen -- a truth that helps explain how we got here in the first place, to not knowing how the Bears are trying to solve the latest quarterback problem and to what actual purpose.
Dan Bernstein is the co-host of the Bernstein & Rahimi Show on middays from 9 a.m. until noon on 670 The Score. You can follow him on Twitter @Dan_Bernstein.
