Jay Cutler Injury: 8 Veteran QBs for Chicago Bears to Consider

Now that we have confirmed that Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler will have surgery on his thumb, injured in Sunday's win over the Chargers, the Bears need a backup for Caleb Hanie.

Yes, Hanie will be the starter but with only rookie Nathan Enderle on the roster, Lovie Smith admitted the team will be looking for another QB.

"The plan is to look for a veteran, preferably, to come in and help us."

Meanwhile, the pickings are slim. While some have talked about Marc Bulger, Kurt Warner and even Brett Favre, none of those guys will be coming to Chicago.

It certainly won't be easy replacing a guy like Cutler, but this is no time for the Bears to hang their heads. Hanie is going to be fine, as long as he doesn't try to win games by himself.

Still, if something were to happen to Hanie, having a veteran on the sidelines would help. Enderle is clearly not ready to play in the NFL yet.

So let's take a look at some names the Bears might want to take a look at.  

Jeff Garcia

Garcia just worked out for the Houston Texans but the former San Francisco 49ers QB hasn't taken a snap in the NFL since 2009.

He is 41 years old and last played for the United Football League's Omaha Nighthawks in 2010.

In five seasons with the Niners, Garcia made the playoffs twice and has made the Pro Bowl four times. In addition to his time with the Niners, he has played for the Browns, Lions, Bucs and Eagles.

In his career, Garcia has 161 TDs vs. 83 INTs, has thrown for 25,537 yards and has a QB rating of 87.5.

He has to be considered a long shot at best.

Trent Edwards

Trent Edwards was a backup quarterback at Jacksonville in 2010, but he began the year as the starter in Buffalo. He is just 28 so he has a lot of football to play.

Edwards had his bell rung in Buffalo, and those concussions have made him a bit gun-shy in the pocket. He does not seem like the kind of QB that Mike Martz would prefer.

Edwards has been in the league for five years. He played in Jacksonville in 2010 and was waived in training camp in Oakland in 2011.

In his career, he has played in 37 NFL games, and his career QB passer rating was 75.4. Edwards threw 26 TDs but had 30 INTs.

Josh McCown

McCown has played for four different teams in his eight-year career, and was signed and released by the 49ers this offseason.

He has been very poor as a QB in the NFL, having thrown more INTs than TDs in his career. He spent the entire 2010 season playing in the UFL.

The 32-year-old has thrown for 6,584 yards and has a QB rating of 71.3.  

Chris Simms

Chris Simms is the son of longtime Giants QB and current CBS analyst Phil Simms. He last played with the Tennessee Titans in 2010.

Simms has played sporadically over eight seasons and the only time he has started more than three times in a season was in 2005 when he started 10 games. He finished with a 81.4 rating, though he fumbled six times.

The 31-year-old has thrown 12 TDs vs. 18 INTs for 3,117 yards and a 69.1 rating.

Patrick Ramsey

Ramsey is a 32-year-old QB who has played for eight teams. He spent last season with the Minnesota Vikings.

He has completed 56 percent of his passes, with 35 TDs against 30 INTs. Ramsey has thrown for 5,930 yards and his QB rating is 74.9.

But he has not thrown a pass since 2008, and that was only two attempts, so it is not likely that he will be coming to Chicago.

In fact, the last time he really played was 2004 with the Redskins. But he has not officially retired and is still available.

Jake Delhomme

I don't know if Delhomme is healthy as he hasn't played since suffering a high ankle sprain last season with the Browns. But if he is, he will be the most experienced and accomplished QB available.

He was released by the Browns in July, but he took the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl.

Delhomme is a 36-year-old and has played in 102 NFL games. He has passed for 20,764 yards and thrown 125 touchdowns to 101 interceptions. His career QB passer rating is 81.2.

Over the last two years, Delhomme has thrown 10 TDs against 25 INTs, so he may be done. His last good season was 2008 with the Panthers.

He is another QB who is not likely to come to the Bears.

Brodie Croyle

Croyle has a hot wife, so he has that going for him. He worked out for the Texans recently.

The Chiefs didn't re-sign him and he has now had three tryouts without getting a job. He has been very injury-prone and with this Bears offensive line, I'm not sure this would be a good fit for him.

He is 28 and in his career with the Chiefs, Croyle has completed 56.7 percent of his passes for 1,669 yards and has eight TDs to nine INTs.

He has a 67.8 QB rating in his career.

Kellen Clemens

Clemens is a 28-year-old QB who has played his career with the New York Jets, though he recently spent time with the Redskins.

He has not been good, completing only 51.8 percent of his passes for 1,686 yards and five TDs to 11 INTs. He has an awful 59.7 QB rating.