Bears Sign Veteran QB Josh McCown As Result Of Cutler Concussion

Replace Caleb Hanie with Jason Campbell and Bears fans would be forgiven for thinking it was 2011 all over again.

Last season in November when quarterback Jay Cutler went down with an injured thumb, Caleb Hanie was supposed to be his replacement. As insurance, the team picked up veteran QB Josh McCown to back him up. Hanie didn’t work out, and McCown played serviceable ball until Cutler returned.

Fast forward to November 2012, CBS News reports, and with Cutler out with a concussion and Jason Campbell scheduled to start in his stead this weekend, the Chicago Bears have gone out and signed Josh McCown again. McCown spent the remainder of 2011 with Chicago and spent the off season with the team before being waived in August.

Reuters reports that McCown played in three games for the Bears last season, completing 35 of 55 passes for 414 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions.

A nine-year NFL veteran, McCown started out with the Arizona Cardinals in 2002 and had his best career year in 2004, throwing for 2,511 yards and 11 touchdowns. He then played briefly for Detroit, Oakland, and Carolina. McCown didn’t play football in 2009 but resurfaced with the Hartford Colonials of the UFL in 2010, finishing as the league’s highest rated passer.

What McCown had been doing throughout the season was not reported, but last year the Bears lured him away from a job as a high school football coach to return to the NFL.

“We always have to look ahead for situations like that,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “Every available quarterback is an option for us if we felt like we needed to go in that direction.”

Josh McCown, Jay Cutler, and Jason Campbell are the only quarterbacks on the Chicago Bears’ roster.