Matt Barkley signs with the 49ers, joining former Bears teammate Brian Hoyer

Matt Barkley, Chicago’s nominal starting quarterback last fall, will have the opportunity to prove his mettle as a passer in 2017. The four-year veteran signed a deal with the San Francisco 49ers, where he’ll compete for a starting role with Brian Hoyer, his Bears teammate from last season.

Barkley was the Bears’ leading passer in 2016, but that isn’t saying much. He threw for 1,611 yards and threw nearly twice as many interceptions (14) as touchdown passes (eight) in Chicago’s disastrous 3-13 season. He needed injuries to starter Jay Cutler and backup Hoyer to work his way into the team’s huddle, and finished his season with 10 interceptions in his last three games — all losses.

But he’s also a commodity in a relatively weak quarterback market. Barkley is a young veteran with the potential to improve given a stronger roster of playmakers in 2017. At 26 years old, he still has time to develop into a quality passer; while he has played in only 11 games in his professional career, his 7.46 yards per pass last season ranked him 13th among starting quarterbacks.

That’s enough to help overlook the 1-8 record in games during which Barkley has thrown 14 passes or more. The still-developing quarterback isn’t the kind of prize somebody like Mike Glennon would be as a free agent signee, but he has the talent to be a solid low-cost acquisition.