A Would You Rather At The Bears QB Position: Tua, Zach Wilson, Or Deshaun Watson For A Decade Of Draft Picks
The Redline Radio boys got HEAVY into the Bears QB of the future debate this week because as sad as it is...this is not it
And obviously neither is this
Obviously the big debate here is about going out and getting Deshaun Watson. Watson is fucking incredible. If the Bears didn't have a dingbat GM in 2017 they could've drafted him 3rd overall(still salty that Pace got conned into trading up one spot just to take one of the biggest draft blunders in NFL history) and the Bears would probably be chasing down their 2nd Super Bowl right now.
Instead, now the Bears apparently have the option of trading FOUR first round picks and paying Watson $156,000,000 over the next 4 years.
That is a STEEP price. Extremely steep. Having said that…when you haven't had a true franchise quarterback since…well the Bears have never had one, can you really quarrel with price tag? Well…I did because if you don't trust that Pace and Nagy will be here long term and you're looking at a defense that is going to need an overhaul before we know by whoever the new GM is as Mack, Hicks, Trevaithan, and possibly Kyle Fuller age and/or move on. So then if you have a QB with a giant cap hit(which is fine because that's what top 5 QBs are worth and what they cost) and you have no draft picks to rejuvenate the defense then guess what…we are right back where we were in the Urlacher-Cutler era.
The Bears brought in Cutler to help put the Bears over the top because the defense was elite, but Cutler didn't have enough help and then once he did the defense aged dramatically and the Bears were missing picks and dollars to address the defense. The offense became the strength of the team with Cutler, Marshall, Alshon, and Forte, but the defense sucked and so did the team. The Bears were right back where they started which is stuck in neutral perpetually. That scares the shit out of me, as does Watson's surgically repaired knees on arguably the worst turf in the NFL.
Which got me to thinking…if you're willing to give up 4 first round picks for Watson, what is the price to move up to get either Fields/Wilson/Lance? Two first round picks and maybe some later round sweeteners? I think that is where I land with this. Give me one of those three on rookie deals as the defense ages and the coaching staff/front office gets sorted out, and a little more draft capital to work with as the new GM attempts to retool. If they actually do take the right quarterback which is a HUGE if for this group, I know, then that to me is the best of both worlds. I am on the record for months now that Wilson is the guy, but I would be very happy with Lance or Fields too. Try it again, move forward, and hopefully build around the QB of the future drafted in 2021.
Now, the reason I included Tua in this scenario…my gut tells me that Miami trades Tua and the 3rd overall pick(+sweeteners) to Houston for Watson. Then if Houston takes a quarterback in the 3rd spot(which they probably should) they can trade Tua for extra draft capital that wouldn't be nearly as expensive as Watson or Fields/Wilson/Lance. Maybe a 2nd round pick the same deal the Cardinals got for Rosen. I have concerns about Tua like everyone else, but if you make that trade you keep your 1st round pick this year and you also don't have to worry about Pace fucking up another QB draft since you're really just taking a flyer on a guy who is a year removed from being a top 5 pick. Was Tua only good at Bama because he had an all-world offensive line and was able to play pitch and catch with Jerry Jeudy, Waddle, and Smith? I guess we can find out. We can also find out if he, more than anything, needed a full year to get healthy and adjust to life in the NFL. I'd be happy with this scenario too because it's the lowest risk.
Big time debates today and a HUGE guest with Kris Bryant joining the show. You can listen to the full ep here
