The Chicago Bears are looking to bounce back from a miserable 3-13 season when they host the defending NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons Sunday from Soldier Field in Chicago.
The club retained coach John Fox but parted ways with lightning-rod quarterback Jay Cutler and backup Brian Hoyer. To replace them, general manager Ryan Pace signed Mike Glennon to a lucrative free-agent contract and traded up to draft Mitch Trubisky from North Carolina with the No. 2 overall pick.
Glennon has the edge as the starting quarterback -- for now -- and will make his team debut in front of a curious home crowd. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound signal-caller posted a 5-13 record in 18 career starts with Tampa Bay, and threw only 11 passes last season as the backup to Jameis Winston.
The Bears' offense will feature a different look without Cutler and Pro Bowl wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Glennon leads a passing attack that includes 2015 first-round pick Kevin White and veteran Kendall Wright, who spent the past five seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
Partly because of a thin receiving corps, look for Fox and his coaching staff to emphasize the running game. That could mean another heavy workload for second-year running back Jordan Howard, who turned heads as a rookie with 1,313 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
