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Just a few weeks ago, the Chicago Bears looked like an obvious candidate to draft a quarterback in the first round. Now they look like a team that can (un)comfortably stand pat and be patient when it comes to finding a young signal caller.

The Bears didn’t blow the quarterback market wide open on Thursday but they did solidify their depth chart by signing Mark Sanchez as a backup quarterback, first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. On Friday morning, the Bears announced the one-year deal. 

Adding Sanchez comes not long after the Bears made a big splash in the free agency market by landing quarterback Mike Glennon, the presumptive starter in Chicago for the entire 2017 season.

Glennon was given a large contract, but one that gives the Bears some flexibility. Chicago is on the hook for $15 million to Glennon in 2017 and some guaranteed money in 2018. 

If he’s great or even very good, they can keep him around. If for some reason the relationship doesn’t work, Chicago can cut ties. 

Sanchez isn’t someone you want starting. He’s looked pretty bad in his limited playing action since leaving the Jets (and, frankly, towards the end of his run in New York). 

But he is a veteran backup capable of stepping in and starting some games. 

His presence on the Bears depth chart -- which now features Glennon, Sanchez, David Fales and Connor Shaw -- lends some credence to the notion Chicago wouldn’t draft a quarterback at No. 3 overall.

They don’t actually look like a great candidate to do so after signing Glennon; the moves they’ve made have the feel of a team looking to acquire more players early in the draft rather than making a play for a quarterback. There also isn’t a ton of immediate help or guaranteed success at the top of the draft at the position.

If Chicago’s plan is to bypass this quarterback class and acquire a talented defensive starter to build on a sneaky decent defense and to let Glennon run the show, it actually looks like a pretty smart move.