Why The Chicago Bears Should Sign QB Ryan Tannehill

Ryan Tannehill is still available in free agency, and the Chicago Bears could represent a perfect destination for the veteran quarterback.

We all know that the Bears are taking USC’s Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL Draft next month. General manager Ryan Poles may as well wear a neon sign on his forehead saying so.

The question is, who will Chicago have as its backup signal-caller?

The Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month, which hardly came as a surprise. Chicago was never going to keep Fields on the roster after drafting Williams, and anyone who thought otherwise was fooling themselves.

But right now, that leaves Tyson Bagent as the primary No. 2 quarterback in the Windy City.

Does anyone actually trust Bagent in that role?

Bagent actually did make four starts in 2023 after Fields went down with a dislocated thumb, but he threw three touchdowns and six interceptions. The Bears don’t want him as a QB2 behind Williams. No way.

The general rule of thumb when rolling with a rookie quarterback is to have a seasoned veteran behind him, and Tannehill fits the bill there.

It’s pretty clear that Tannehill is not even close to the same player he was a few years ago. He was pretty terrible this past season, totaling four touchdowns and seven picks. That’s actually Bagent territory.

The difference is that Tannehill has an established track record of actually being good in the NFL, and at 35 years old and with 12 years of experience under his belt, Tannehill can almost certainly offer a lot of help to Williams during his debut campaign.

And if Williams struggles? The Bears can turn to Tannehill as a temporary stopgap while Williams gets right.

It seems like too perfect of a fit.

The fact that Tannehill is still out there is actually fairly surprising. Again, he was terrible last year and wasn’t great in 2021 or 2022, either, but he did make the Pro Bowl in 2020 and was really good in 2019, too. Plus, this is just for a backup role. You’re telling me Tannehill can’t be a reserve next season?

Perhaps Tannehill is just waiting for the right opportunity, and Chicago appears to be just that for him.

The Bears should absolutely reach out to Ryan Tannehill—if they haven’t already—to see if he would be interested in taking on a mentorship role for Williams in 2024.