Cutler Finds New Home as Bears QB
Chicago Bears Trade for Disgruntled Denver Quarterback
Last year it was the Favre gate, this year it's been McJay gate. Fortunately, this farcical break-up between Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos will not drag on into the pre-season. A resolution was found with Denver trading Cutler and their 5th round pick in April's Draft to the Chicago Bears. Denver received, in return, Chicago's 1st round selection in April's Draft (18th overall selection) and Chicago's 1st round selection in the 2010 draft. Denver also acquired five-year veteran quarterback Kyle Orton.
Who's the Bigger Winner: Chicago or Denver?
Although, Denver never wanted to trade Cutler after failing to acquire Matt Cassel from the New England Patriots early this year, they will be ecstatic with the conditions of this trade. New head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Brian Xanders now have the leverage to trade up this year's draft to find a potential replacement for Cutler, with USC's Mark Sanchez being touted by many as a possible pick. The acquisition of Kyle Orton can also be seen as a good move as the Broncos now have two seasoned quarterbacks, Orton and Chris Simms, who can step in and do a productive job with the offense.
However, by trading away Cutler, McDaniels has given himself a huge dilemma. With Cutler under centre, the offense was set and McDaniels could concentrate on developing a better defence - a defence that is in desperate need of reshaping. However with instability at quarterback, McDaniels now has to divide his time between both sides of the football.
Chicago, meanwhile, have found a quarterback who can be the face of the franchise. Not only is Cutler a Pro-Bowl quarterback but if he can repeat last year's production (4,528 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes) Chicago will be considered a play-off contender. His arm strength and skill set should also see Cutler be proficient when it comes to December football at the notoriously difficult Soldier Field. However by giving up this years and next years first round picks, the Bears are relying on Cutler to be the saviour of this franchise.
Is It The Right Move For Cutler?
Initially, it must appear that Cutler is a big winner in this trade. He got his way by getting out of Denver. Whether he would have chosen Chicago as his landing spot, however, is a different matter.
Currently, it is unquestionable that Denver possesses far more offensive firepower than Chicago. In Denver, Cutler had the hugely talented wide receiver tandem of Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal. However he now faces the prospect of playing with one of the weakest wide receiver corps in the NFL. Devin Hester does have the potential but is yet to be considered a number one wide receiver. Meanwhile, Rashid Davis and Earl Bennett can hardly be considered as elite wide receivers. Therefore Cutler will hope that the Bears will either spend some money in free agency to bring in an experienced receiver or draft a receiver who could stretch the field.
One advantage for Cutler, though, is he won't be expected to carry the offense into the play-offs, unlike the Broncos last season, as Matt Forte is establishing himself as one of the most threatening running backs in football. Also Greg Olsen can be considered as a more than adequate tight end for Cutler to use as a target man. Similarly, the shrewd signing of tackle Orlando Pace should mean that Cutler gets a stronger protection in the pocket.
Simply put, this trade is a major gamble by all parties involved. Only time will tell whether this blockbuster trade was a success or a total flop.
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