The Bears traded a lot to get their hands on Jay Cutler but in the end it will be well worth it.  Cutler has a great arm and his passes should be able to remain tight even in December home games.  Cutler is improving every year and this could be his true breakout season if he gets help from the skill players on offense.  He certainly doesn’t have the cast he had in Denver so he will have to step up himself and he has the potential to do so.  Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez will battle for the backup job to Cutler this summer and either way the Bears lose.  Hanie has no experience at the NFL level and Basanez doesn’t have the arm to succeed in the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B+

The Bears have signed 27-year old linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa to a 1-year deal.  Tinoisamoa played in all 16 games for the Rams last season and he made 104 tackles, defensed 2 passes, had 3 sacks and he forced 2 fumbles.  He has now played in 84 games in his NFL career and he has made 445 tackles, has defensed 25 passes, has 10 sacks, has forced 9 fumbles and he has 7 interceptions.  This was another good free agent signing as the Bears continue to cherry pick what’s left in the market.

The Bears have signed 29-year old TE Michael Gaines after his release from the Lions.  He played in all 16 games for the Lions last season and he caught 23 passes for 260 yards (11.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Gaines has now played in 73 games in his 5-year NFL career and he has caught 79 passes for 810 yards (10.3 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  This was a good signing for the Bears as Gaines should help the running game with his solid blocking.

The Chicago Bears didn’t waste time signing 33-year old offensive tackle Orlando Pace to protect Jay Cutler’s blind side.  Pace is a mountain of a man at 6′7″, 325 pounds and he’s talented playing in a lot of Pro Bowls.  Pace played in 14 games (all starts) for the Rams last season.  He has now played in 158 games (154 starts) in his NFL career covering 12 seasons.  This was a great move for the Bears.

The Bears have acquired 25-year old QB Jay Cutler and a fifth round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft for QB Kyle Orton, a first and third round pick in 2009 and a first round pick in 2010.  Cutler immediately becomes the best QB the Bears have had since helmets had facemasks.  Cutler played in all 16 games for the Broncos last season and he completed 384 for 616 passes (62.3%) for 4,526 yards with 25 TD passes and 18 interceptions (86.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 57 times for 200 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs in 2008.  Cutler has now played in 37 games in his three year NFL career and he has completed 762 of 1,220 passes (62.5%) for 9,024 yards with 54 TD passes and 37 interceptions (87.1 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 113 times for 423 yards (3.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Cutler was worth the picks as he is light years better than Kyle Orton.

26-year old Kyle Orton played in 15 games for the Bears last season and he completed 272 of 465 passes (58.5%) for 2,972 yards with 18 TD passes and 12 interceptions (79.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 24 times for 49 yards (2.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs last season.  Orton finished his career with the Bears playing in 33 games in which he completed 505 of 913 passes (55.3%) for 5,319 yards with 30 TD passes and 27 interceptions (71.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 53 times for 92 yards (1.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs with the Bears.