First reported by The Bergen Record, the Chicago Bears have agreed to terms with former Rutgers star QB Mike Teel. Brad Biggs with the Tribune confirms.
The move has the fingerprints of new personnel director Tim Ruskell on it. Ruskell was the general manager in Seattle when the Seahawks drafted Teel in the sixth round in 2009. Teel spent last season on the Seahawks' roster as the third quarterback but did not play. In the preseason, he completed 20-of-41 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns. As a senior at Rutgers in 2008, Teel passed for 3,418 yards with 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Even more questions now with the QB position, as last season the Bears only carried two QBs on the roster.
Scouting report from CBSSports:
Positives: Good size for the position, tall enough to survey the field. Quick setup and delivery. Adequate arm strength, throws with some zip on short and intermediate passes over the middle. Gets good air on deep balls, stands tall and delivers. Drops to sidearm when needed, has touch on shorter throws so receivers can run after the catch. Anticipates wells, throws where his receiver will be. Experienced taking snaps from center or via shotgun. Good intangibles, a team leader. Played through a broken right (throwing) hand in 2007.
Negatives: Lacks the mobility to consistently make plays outside the pocket. Throws too many interceptions because he takes chances and tends to stare down and stick to his primary receiver. Gets the ball in the vicinity of his receiver but is not deadly accurate. Deep throws and fades will float inside instead of reaching the outside shoulder. Puts everything into his deep outs, lowering his release point by dipping his left shoulder. Must learn to deal with pressure in a tighter in a tighter NFL pocket.
Also, from Field Gulls:
His strengths are obvious and otherwise. Teel has a very strong arm. He throws a nice deep pass, can bullet it into tight windows and can make all the throws. Even the one-handed behind the back from the roof throw Seneca bet he couldn't. Teel has a clean drop-step, and plants and looks down field without delay. He can be accurate. His read and understanding of the playbook showed enough growth from week one of the preseason to week four of the preseason to be considered a strength and a promising sign.
Mike Teel cannot consistently make his passes. Sometimes he steps back, sees his man, cocks, plants and beans the cheerleader.
We'll find out more about Teel in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.