Bears add QB Basanez to mix

The Bears have a replacement for Rex Grossman.

The club has a third quarterback now after signing Arlington Heights native Brett Basanez to a two-year contract. For now, he figures to vie with Caleb Hanie for a spot as the No. 2 quarterback heading into the offseason. Grossman will be an unrestricted free agent beginning Feb. 27 and will not return.

Basanez spent the last three seasons with the Carolina Panthers, who were hoping to bring him back. He was on the practice squad last season and spent 2007 on injured reserve after a wrist injury in preseason. An undrafted free agent from Northwestern in 2006, he spent the majority of the season on the practice squad before being elevated to the 53-man roster in December.

Basanez is an athletic quarterback who is smart and accurate. The 2005 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year holds numerous records at Northwestern.

The Bears will likely still look at a quarterback. Whether it is a veteran in free agency or a rookie in the draft remains to be seen.