tebow vs jets
Tim Tebow is still available to be signed after a solid preseason with the Eagles. Getty

In Week 2, the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears each lost their starting quarterbacks to injuries. To little surprise, former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has been mentioned as a possible replacement.

The Cowboys saw Tony Romo go down with a fractured left clavicle, and he’s expected to miss the next eight weeks, leaving Brandon Weeden as the only quarterback on the team’s 53-man roster. The Bears lost Jay Cutler to a hamstring strain after he tried to stop Arizona’s Tony Jefferson from turning his interception into a touchdown.

Like Dallas, the Bears only have only one other quarterback on their roster, with Jimmy Clausen filling in on Sunday. Cutler may not miss significant time, but Chicago will need some depth behind Clausen as insurance.

There has been no direct word that Tebow could join either team, but there has been plenty of chatter that Tebow might be called upon to take a backup role.

While he hasn’t made a roster since 2012 with the Jets, Tebow’s skill set could be employed by the Cowboys, according to USA Today. The 28-year-old nearly made the Philadelphia Eagles’ final 53-man roster following a training camp and preseason battle with Matt Barkley. Despite Barkley being traded to Arizona, Tebow was still cut and the Eagles went with Stephen Morris instead.

With top receiver Dez Bryant down for 10 to 12 weeks following foot surgery, and tight ends Jason Witten and Gavin Escobar now the squad’s most dangerous threats, it seems reasonable that Dallas would at least consider a dual threat quarterback like Tebow. Dallas has seen success with backs Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar sharing carries, though the latter’s been most effective in the passing game.

And while calling Dallas’ sloppy 20-10 victory over Philadelphia, Fox announcer Joe Buck posited Tebow as a potential replacement with booth-mate and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman suggesting Dallas might have to fight off the Eagles for his signature after Sam Bradford’s lackluster performance. Texas governor Greg Abbott also weighed in on Tebow and the Cowboys.

As for the Bears, they might only have to turn to Clausen for one or two games but his career’s been up and down and his play largely unreliable. Between his first year with Carolina in 2010 and today, the 28-year-old owns a 1-10 record as a starter with a 53.2 completion rate for 1,902 yards and five touchdowns to 11 interceptions.

In the case of the Bears’ offense, Tebow makes much less sense than Dallas. With several talented and productive receivers in Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal, as well as tight end Martellus Bennett and pass-catching rusher Matt Forte, Chicago would need any backup to throw an accurate deep or mid-range ball that Tebow’s struggled with his entire career.

Other possible candidates available for the Cowboys and Bears include Matt Flynn, who spent time with the Green Bay Packers, as well as former Minnesota Vikings starter Christian Ponder, and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Josh Freeman.