No matter how badly Jay Cutler plays, he’s going to be the Bears’ starting quarterback. With the amount of money the Bears are paying him and the king’s ransom they traded away to acquire him from the Broncos, Cutler’s job is safe, as long as he’s healthy.
But if Cutler isn’t healthy, Bears coach Lovie Smith would like to have a veteran backup behind him on the depth chart.
“Whenever you can add another veteran to the group, especially a veteran quarterback because they are kind of like a second coach knowing the offense, that can be a good thing,” Smith said. “Just having another voice to mentor all the situations is a good thing.”
Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com suggests that the veteran backup could be Ryan Fitzpatrick, currently of the Bills, who has played for Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz -- or even Marc Bulger, who played for Martz with the Rams.
But whoever it is, Smith says he’d like someone other than current backup Caleb Hanie behind Cutler on the depth chart.
“It wouldn’t be a bad thing,” Smith says, “if we end up with a veteran this year.”