Chicago Bears Wisely Looking to Build Through Draft, Not Free Agency
Some fans of the Chicago Bears were disappointed by the team’s less than aggressive free agency approach. However, it shows that they are wisely looking to build their roster through the draft.
The Chicago Bears had a ton of room under the salary cap to make significant moves in free agency. They could have paid big for guys like Stephon Gilmore, Ricky Wagner or A.J. Bouye, but they instead decided to hit the mid-tier free agent market hard. Sure, they gave quarterback Mike Glennon a big contract, but the quarterback position is different from the others and the Bears can easily get out of that contract after one year if needed.
I would have been as excited about the Bears landing some of the big-named free agents as anyone. Adding a guy like Gilmore obviously would have made them a much better team in 2017. However, free agency is typically a loser’s game. It is much wiser to build an NFL roster through the draft. With their moves in free agency, that is exactly what I believe Ryan Pace and company are looking to do.
The 2016 NFL Draft was a big-time success for the Chicago Bears. In edge rusher Leonard Floyd, offensive lineman Cody Whitehair and running back Jordan Howard, the Bears hit absolute home runs. On top of that, there are still plenty of guys (Jonathan Bullard, Nick Kwiatkoski, Deon Bush and Deiondre’ Hall) who have a ton of long-term upside.
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The Bears’ 2016 draft class is a group of players who they can build around. If Pace can put together a similarly successful class in 2017, they are going to have a healthy young collection of players.
Free agency is great for putting the finishing touches on the roster. However, when teams have a long way to go until relevancy and spend lavishly in free agency, trouble usually follows. Building a roster primarily through the draft is always the smart way to go.
The Bears did a nice job of adding under-valued players in free agency this off season, with guys like cornerback Marcus Cooper, safety Quintin Demps and wide receiver Kendall Wright particularly standing out. In the position they are in, blowing the budget for high-priced free agents on long-term deals would not have made any sense.
Next: Bears Complete Seven-Round 2017 NFL Mock Draft
Pace is clearly looking to build through the draft and Bears’ fans should be extremely happy about that.