Chicago Bears: Who Is Matt Barkley and Is He For Real?

So here the Chicago Bears sit. Four games remain in the 2016 schedule. Cutler is out of the picture. Nobody is set to remove Barkley from the starting job for the next month. This represents the best opportunity he’s had by far in his career to show people what he can do. Is he just a guy taking advantage of a brief window of weak opponents or is there more?

Barkley was tabbed by some of the best talent evaluators in the business as something worth exploring. He was compared to the two greatest in NFL history. He’s clean cut, knows how to communicate and understands the true depth of leadership. The tape shows somebody who is unfazed by pressure from inside the pocket and delivers strikes with lots of accuracy.

https://twitter.com/KMGSportsMgmt/status/803622761713336320

To top it off he’s wisely wearing the #12, a jersey that has been very kind to the quarterback position for many years. Ask Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Roger Staubach, Jim Kelly and Terry Bradshaw among others. That’s some good karma sprinkled over what is an intriguing situation. It’s way too soon to be many any predictions about the long-term future.

Still, here is what is known for sure. The quarterback market for 2017 is weak, for both free agency and the draft. If Barkley continues to show signs of progress, then it’s time to at least consider him as a legitimate “bridge” quarterback option. In other words a starter the Bears can roll with until they’re in position to get somebody better.

At 26-years old he’s smack in the middle of his prime and won’t command near the dollars that Cutler or others will. Definitely something to monitor.