The Bears weren’t able to trade Jay Cutler and opted not to put a large amount of dead money on the cap by releasing him, so he’ll be back for another season as the starting quarterback in Chicago.
Given how well that’s gone in some of his past seasons, there are likely plenty of Bears fans who would like the team to have a backup that could take over if Cutler falters this season. Those fans may have differing opinions about Jimmy Clausen’s ability to be that backup, but offensive coordinator Adam Gase sounds pretty sure that Clausen would be up for the job.
“I feel like from what we saw on tape last year -- and I know it was limited, I know what we saw on tape was limited -- but he’s really grown as a player,” Gase said, via ESPN.com. “And what we’re trying to put together right now, he was a great fit for that room. He and Jay have a great relationship. I felt like he’d be perfect for what we were trying to do offensively.”
Clausen, who went 23-of-39 for 181 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in one start in place of Cutler last season, has expressed his own excitement about how things are lining up on offense in Chicago. None of that changes the fact that the Bears will be better off if Cutler starts 16 games and plays well, but at least they’re feeling confident that the offense can move on if history repeats itself instead.