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Denver Broncos Sign Caleb Hanie to Back Up Peyton Manning

Per ESPN Chicago, the #Broncos have signed former #Bears QB Caleb Haine to a two-year deal. Will back up Peyton Manning.
Mar 24 via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Reply

The Denver Broncos have been working hard to get a deal with Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie, and according to a couple of reports including this one, it is a done deal. The Broncos have signed Jay Cutler's old backup quarterback to back up freshly signed Peyton Manning.

Hanie actually played pretty well for the Bears in Cutler's absence when the Bears made it to the NFC Championship game a couple of years ago, despite turning the ball over one too many times, and he played a solid game against the Broncos in 2011 which Denver wound up winning because of some mental miscues by recently retired running back Marion Barber.

Here is Hanie's scouting report from SB Nation:

Scouting Report

Assets
  • Boasts a very strong arm and puts a lot of zip on his throws. Can go deep better than most NFL quarterbacks. Also has enough size and athleticism to potentially be an NFL starter.
Flaws
  • Will force things too much, and gets picked off too easily. Not fleet of foot, and struggles to make plays on the run. Needs to prove he can improve his decision-making.
Career Potential
  • Depth quarterback with upside.
  • Awards

This is not a blockbuster signing, but Hanie actually has some playing time in the NFL unlike a few of Denver's recent backup quarterbacks. I think he will do a solid job backing up Manning, but I'm sure Denver will still pursue a quarterback in the draft in April.

Hanie was originally signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State, and he is the second Rams player signed by the Broncos this free agent period (Joel Dreessen).