John Fox is the new head coach for the Chicago Bears and Ryan Pace is the new general manager. I focus on new because it was the old regime that gave quarterback Jay Cutler a seven-year, $126 million dollar contract in 2014.
Cutler may have set career highs in completion percentage (66) and touchdowns (28) last year, but he also threw 18 picks and coughed up nine fumbles. Plus, the Bears offense badly underachieved, finishing 21st in yards (327.1) and 23rd in points (19.9) per game. It's no secret that the new administration is looking for their own quarterback and they may find him in the 2016 NFL Draft.
WalterFootball.com projects the Bears to select Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg with the No. 6 overall selection next year. While projections this early rarely come true, this particular pairing makes some sense.
"It was rumored that the Bears could trade Jay Cutler to the Titans for the No. 2 pick. I imagine Tennessee's front office laughing at the proposal; I doubt it would've even taken Cutler for free, given his horrific contract situation. The Bears will be able to get rid of him next spring and try another quarterback.
"Christian Hackenberg had a rough sophomore campaign, but he has all the talent in the world. He was great in the bowl game, so perhaps that's a sign of things to come. If Hackenberg has a strong 2015 season, he'll be in top-five consideration."
Hackenberg has also been linked to the Washington Redskins in some very early mock drafts. However, his draft stock and the Bears and Redskins' projected records could change drastically over the next several months.
Hackenberg threw for 2,977 yards with 12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while completing 55.8 percent of his passes last season. At 6-foot-4 and 236 pounds, he has ideal size and arm strength that teams are looking for in QB prospects though his accuracy is questionable at this point.
