Well, I'll be. The JaMarcus Russell comeback train -- which began like a publicity stunt and featured the phrase "heavier than normal" -- is actually leading somewhere. That somewhere is Chicago, where Russell reportedly has a tryout with the Bears on Wednesday.
Mike C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com reports that the Bears will bring in Russell and three other quarterbacks for a tryout.
This isn't the first time Russell has been linked to the Bears this offseason. Jeff Garcia said in April that the Bears and Cardinals would be "ideal" teams for Russell to land on. And Chicago does make some sense.
Jay Cutler is an established veteran quarterback who won't be challenged for a starting job and new coach Marc Trestman is a quarterbacks guru. If anyone can help Russell on the road to respectability in the NFL, it's him.
Of course, there's still plenty of work to be done. Russell cancelled his pro day in April because there wasn't enough interest from NFL teams.
But as recently as late May, reports emerged that Russell was down to 265 pounds, which was his playing weight when he starred at LSU and eventually ended up being drafted by the Raiders.
And the news of Russell's svelte figure apparently has the Bears "intrigued." Given that only Josh McCown and Matt Blanchard are available to back up Cutler, it's hard to see how they couldn't be.
Having said that, it's important to remember what Wright wrote in his initial report of the tryout: this is far from a lock in terms of Russell landing a job. But the Bears are at least giving him a shot.
Given how far out of football shape Russell looked just a few months ago, that's almost more than he can ask.
