By Jordan Long
The Chicago Bears are 0-2, early in the season. They will be without starting quarterback Jay Cutler for 2 to 3 weeks with a sprained thumb. Is it time for the Bears to move on from Cutler at the end of the year?
Cutler was traded from Denver to Chicago for quarterback Kyle Orton, a first-round pick in 2009 and 2010, along with a third-round pick in 2009. The Bears were hoping he would solve their quarterback issues and be the franchise quarterback for years to come.
In his eight years as a Bear, Cutler has a record of 50-49. In those games he passed for 22,757 yards and 151 touchdowns, but has tossed 106 interceptions. The Bears made the playoffs once with Cutler as their quarterback. He led them all the way to the NFC championship game in 2010. Cutler was criticized for not finishing the game because he left in the third quarter with a knee injury. At the time the Bears were trailing 14-0. Third-string quarterback, Caleb Hanie finished the game but the Bears still lost 21-14.
The biggest difficulty I have with Cutler is his decision making. He has a strong arm, but it seems that Cutler will throw into double or triple coverage thinking that the pass will hit his receiver. Those passes are picked off taking points off the board and putting the defense in a tough spot to try and hold the opponents from scoring.
Cutler isn’t the only dilemma. His line hasn’t been able to protect him leading to 242 sacks. That is way too many times to be hit. The Bears have also gone through three coaches, Lovie Smith, Marc Trestman, and John Fox. They all have brought in a different coaching style. That is three different systems for Cutler to learn.
The Bears will need to make a decision at the end of the year. The trouble of even trying to trade or cut Cutler is his salary. He is owed $16 million this year and $12.5 million next year. Cutler won’t be a free agent until 2021. The Bears are better off seeing what the rest of the year is like. They can always try to cut ties with Cutler once the season is done.
What should the Chicago Bears do with Jay Cutler?
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