The Bear's Den, January 11, 2017 - Should the Bears re-sign Brian Hoyer?

The Den will be taking a look at one of the Chicago Bears' 2017 unrestricted free agents (UFA's) and restricted free agents (RFA's) each day until we have knocked out the list.

I will be talking about the player, whether I personally would sign the player and to what contract, and what my best guess the Bears will do with him.

Today's UFA is quarterback Brian Hoyer.

It would be hard to argue that Brian Hoyer was the best Bear's quarterback this year, at least statistically. Hoyer

Hoyer completed 134 of his 200 pass attempts for 1,445 yards, which generated a 67 percent completion percentage. His yards-per-completion average was 7.23, and he had 6 TD passes with 0 interceptions in the five games he played in. Hoyer's passer rating was 98.0, by far the highest of any Bears quarterback. The biggest problem with the Bears offense under Hoyer was a lack of scoring. The Bears averaged 16.6 points per game in the 5 games that he played in (albeit he only played a part of the Green Bay game thanks to the dirty helmet-first hit that broke his arm).

Hoyer came into the league and played for New England backing up Tom Brady for three years, then had a year in Arizona, followed by two years in Cleveland (one as the primary starter) and then a year as the starter for the Texans. At Houston, he had a mostly positive year up until an absolutely horrific playoff performance ushered him out the door.

Career wise, Hoyer has played in 49 games, has completed 714 out of 1,199 passing attempts for a 59.6 completion percentage for 8,608 yards. His career yards-per-attempt is 7.18. He has 44 TD's and 26 INTS, and a career passer rating of 84.8.

Hoyer has expressed a desire to remain in Chicago, and has also expressed an understanding that in remaining, he might need to serve as a caretaker quarterback and mentor for a rookie heir-apparent quarterback. "My comfort level here is great," he told the Chicago media earlier this month. "I had a lot of fun when I got to play. Obviously, the results didn't always show what we wanted. I really like what they're building here and hopefully I can be a part of that."

Do I think the Bears should re-sign Brian Hoyer? Yes, without question. Give him a contract similar to what he had this year, assuming he will take it. Bottom line we are going to need at least three quarterbacks, and Hoyer has proven that he is an NFL caliber player at least as a strong backup, and frankly the worst we would get from him is a strong backup quarterback. EVERY team needs that guy, and Hoyer has done plenty to prove that he is a guy who can be a backup and a caretaker. Do I think we sign him as our go-to starter (for go-to starter money)? No, but it won't take that. Hoyer wants to be here, and I find it hard to imagine us finding somebody better for the veteran/backup or caretaker-until-a-rookie-is-ready role.

Do I think the Bears will re-sign him? Yes. Of all the UFA's on this list, I think Hoyer is one of the safest bets for a spot on next year's roster.

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS

Finley: Bears' offseason primer: Whom they could add, subtract and draft - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears have the third overall draft pick this April and, in free agency, money to spend.

Andracki: Crain's releases list of 25 highest-paid Chicago athletes - CSN Chicago - Crain's released the 2017 version of the 25 highest-paid athletes in Chicago with several major shakeups, including at the top of the list.

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Biggs Bears Q&A: Roster additions (and subtractions), Hard Knocks, draft talk and more - Chicago Tribune - The Tribune's Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly.

By the Numbers: Season in review - ChicagoBears.com - A look at some of the key stats that reflected who the 2016 Bears were and what changes may be in store before next season kicks off.

Mayer: Bears' Butler celebrates Clemson win - ChicagoBears.com - Bears director of player engagement Jerry Butler, a star wide receiver at Clemson in the late 1970s, relished the Tigers' win over Alabama in the national title game.

Cox: Bears QB grades - Barkley was best at shaky position in 2016 - Bears Wire - Three different quarterbacks started games for the 2016 Chicago Bears and yielded very mixed results. Matt Barkley stood out as the best.

Krinch: Bears sign former second-round pick Rueben Randle to reserves/futures contract - CSN Chicago - The Bears signed wide receiver Rueben Randle to a reserves/futures contract. Randle has 188 receptions for 2,644 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career.

Emma: Bears Must Leave No Stone Unturned In Critical Offseason - CBS Chicago - The Bears need to address needs in free agency before setting themselves up for the draft.

DRAFT/PROSPECTS

Perez: Deshaun Watson makes claim for No. 1 pick overall after National Championship performance - Bears Wire - Clemson QB Deshaun Watson starred in the National Championship game and proved worthy of the Chicago Bears' first round pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

Cox: Chicago Bears 2017 NFL Draft scouting report: Deshaun Watson - Bears Wire - Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson should be in the conversation for the Chicago Bears third-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Perez: 4 reasons why the Chicago Bears should draft Clemson QB Deshaun Watson in the first round - Bears Wire - Deshaun Watson would be a great fit for the Chicago Bears. Here are four reasons why.

SportsTalk Live Podcast: Did Deshaun Watson do enough for Bears to draft him? - CSN Chicago - In the latest SportsTalk Live Podcast, the panel debates if Deshaun Watson did enough for the Bears to draft him.

SportsTalk Live: Should Bears draft Deshaun Watson? - CSN Chicago - Should the Bears draft Deshaun Watson? The SportsTalk Live team debates.

Rotoworld NFL mock draft: At No. 3, the Bears select... - CSN Chicago - Rotoworld's NFL Draft expert Josh Norris released his first 2017 NFL mock draft. Check out who Norris has the Bears selecting at No. 3 overall.

Rosenbloom: My big Bears question regarding Deshaun Watson - Chicago Tribune - Focusing on one game can turn an NFL GM into a fool. But that was some kind of game Deshaun Watson just played.

Haugh: Clemson QB Deshaun Watson was brilliant, but what about the NFL? - Chicago Tribune - Clemson QB Deshaun Watson stamps himself a college football legend but careful getting carried away with NFL draft talk

POLISH SAUSAGE

Alper: Jaguars clear out most of their defensive coaching staff - ProFootballTalk - The Jaguars made changes at the top of the organization on Monday by installing Tom Coughlin as their executive vice president of football operations and Doug Marrone as the head coach.

Jeremiah: What we learned from 2017 national championship game - NFL.com - Deshaun Watson once again played his best on the biggest of stages, and scouts will remember the toughness he displayed. Find out what we learned about prospects in the title game.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Sessler: Jordy Nelson suffered fractured ribs vs. Giants - NFL.com - Jordy Nelson suffered at least two fractured ribs in the Packer's wild-card win over the Giants. Will Green Bay be forced to head to Dallas without its top wide receiver?

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FANPOSTS

Arctous: After watching the national championship... - Windy City Gridiron - Have any of you changed your mind about drafting Watson out of Clemson with the number 3 overall pick? I had my doubts to begin with but he looked very impressive! Fought back and made a lot of...

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FanPosts - Recent - Windy City Gridiron - Here's a link to our FanPost section, where YOU have the opportunity to contribute to Windy City Gridiron. Take a few minutes and write a post about what you are thinking about regarding the Chicago Bears, and there'a chance it will be linked right here in the Den.

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