The Chicago Bears made a bit of a social-media stir on Wednesday night with a tweet featuring an altered image of Andy Dalton in his new uniform with the message, “QB1.”
Some Bears fans were confused. Here’s the explanation. Yes, Dalton is QB1. For now.
We’ve seen it before. We’ve seen it before from the Bears. Sign a supposed starter in March and, after the draft, he’s no longer the clear-cut No. 1 option.
Four years ago, the Bears signed Mike Glennon in free agency. Both before and after drafting Mitchell Trubisky, Glennon was characterized as the starter. Even in late July of 2017, the team said Glennon is the starter.
Trubisky instantly looked better, and the Bears benched Glennon after four games.
Although Dalton likely isn’t at risk of being benched for current backup Nick Foles, it’s still possible that the Bears will select a quarterback with the 20th overall pick in the draft. If they do, they’ll likely continue to call Dalton the “QB1.”
And he will be. Until the precise moment that he isn’t -- especially if the Bears take a quarterback in the first round of the draft.