Chicago Bears 7-Round Mock Draft: A post-Andy Dalton dilemmaon March 17, 2021 at 2:00 pm

For about 24-48 hours, there was smoke coming from the rumor mill. This time, it was veteran quarterback Andy Dalton being connected to Chicago. While fans were hoping for the best, yet bracing for the worst, general manager Ryan Pace was figuring out the nitty gritty details.

To the fan base’s dismay, the Bears inked Dalton to a 1-year deal to presumably be the team’s starting quarterback for the 2021 season.

If you thought Allen Robinson was upset before this week, don’t ask him how he’s feeling now.

The Bears now have Dalton and Nick Foles under contract for this upcoming season, so now what?

The Chicago Bears should not hesitate to go after a first-round quarterback.

Let’s assume Pace understands this is his last chance, and also assumes that Dalton and Foles will not save his job. Sure, that may be a big assumption, but just go with it.

Neither one of them will lead this team to anything beyond another 8-8 season full of mediocrity. It’s not happening. As much as some of us fans can try and talk ourselves into a silver lining, the end result of the 2021 season will still be what we’ve grown accustomed to: quarterback purgatory.

The Bears did themselves a disservice by making the playoffs this past season, as they have to try and figure out how to land a quarterback with the no. 20 overall pick. But, in our latest mock draft, the strategy doesn’t change.

It’s time to go up and get a quarterback, even with Dalton on board. Go big or go home.