Back in the 2013 and 2014 NFL seasons, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon appeared in 19 games, making 18 starts and tossing 29 touchdown passes with 15 interceptions. But he has thrown just 11 passes since the Bucs spent the No. 1 overall pick on Jameis Winston in 2015.
That didn't stop the Chicago Bears from committing a three-year, $45 million contract to Glennon on Thursday. So what exactly are the Bears getting with him? I watched each of those 19 games to find out.
Positive signs
Arm talent
Glennon has upper-tier arm strength. A 6-foot-6, 225-pound pro-style passer, he can rip the ball on the deep out, inside seam, dig route (breaks at 15 yards) and the corner route (beat Cover 2). That allows Glennon to fit the ball into tight windows and challenge defensive backs in man coverage or attack zone shells.
Here's an example from Glennon's rookie season in 2013 versus the Seattle Seahawks. A vertical concept with the tight end, Tim Wright, working up the numbers on the seam route.
This is a classic three-deep beater from the Bucs. Send three verticals up the field with receiver Vincent Jackson crossing the face of Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. That's going to occupy Thomas just enough for the Bucs to open that throwing window to the seam. This allows Glennon, working from a clean pocket, to set his feet and deliver a dime to Wright just as Thomas closes on the ball. This is a tight-window throw, but because of Glennon's arm strength, he can be aggressive here and challenge the Seahawks' core coverage for an explosive gain.
I think the arm strength is legitimate with Glennon, and it shows up all the time on the Bucs' film. Does he need a stable platform to launch the ball? Yes, he does (and we'll get to that later). But when Glennon can set his feet, he can make every throw in the playbook. Man, he made some throws versus the Steelers in 2014 that absolutely jumped off the screen. Rockets.