Colin Kaepernick a Strong Fit for the Chicago Bears
Would Colin Kaepernick be a strong option for the Chicago Bears?
The Chicago Bears quarterback situation is completely up in the air. Jay Cutler seems unlikely to be back as the starter next season, and guys like Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley are back-up options at best.
The starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears in 2017 is not likely on their roster at the moment. Most throughout the industry expect the Bears to attack the quarterback position in the draft, by landing a prospect like Deshaun Watson, Mitch Trubisky or DeShone Kizer. A trade for Jimmy Garoppolo of the New England Patriots would make plenty of sense as well.
That being said, there will be other opportunities for the Bears to address their quarterback issues this off season. Unless Kirk Cousins surprisingly hits the open market, the free agent class at quarterback is less than stellar. That being said, there may be an underrated option out there that would be a perfect fit for the Bears.
I am talking about Colin Kaepernick, who is likely to opt out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers this off season. Before we get too far into this, I know what you are thinking. Kaepernick has not been great in recent years and his beliefs do not align with everyone. It would be a move that would have plenty of doubters. Just hear me out for a minute.
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The first I had heard of a possible Kaepernick-Bears connection came from listening to the Move the Sticks podcast with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks. In the most recent episode, Jeremiah talks about Kaepernick being a strong fit for the Bears.
“He didn’t play terrible this year and if you think about it, he has all that ability, he’s young, that same ability that came within a play of winning a Superbowl,” Jeremiah said.
“It’s still there, he still has all those tools. Maybe, just maybe, you have to look at what was around him since Jim Harbaugh left. He had Jim Tomsula, that was a disaster. You look at Chip Kelly, one and done, disaster. The roster, everybody will admit is terrible.”
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“What if he went to Chicago?” Jeremiah asked. “Where they invested in the offensive line. You get Kyle Long back, they’ve got some other good young players in there. Cody Whitehair played really well this year. You’ve got a big back who rushed for 1300 yards in Jordan Howard.”
“You’ve got some pretty good pieces on defense with a defensive coach,” he continued. “You got a top five pick which you could get a stud to throw in that mix on the defensive side. I kind of like that fit.”
Honestly, I have to agree with Jeremiah. The Bears’ roster is not complete, but there is a lot to like when they are healthy. A strong offensive line (especially on the interior), the makings of a great rushing attack, some weapons on the outside and an extremely talented defensive front seven.
When Kaepernick was successful in San Francisco, they had the best defense in the NFL, the best offensive line in the NFL and a strong rushing attack. If you squint hard enough, the Bears have the potential to be a build a similar kind of team.
Kaepernick would not have to come in and be the savior, but his raw play-making ability could be the cherry on the top. Bringing him in would not take up much of the Bears’ salary cap room so they could continue to improve the roster around him in free agency.
Also, we all know how much of an opportunity the Bears have to improve through the 2017 NFL Draft. The Bears’ defense is already solid. Add a Jonathan Allen with the third overall pick and couple of talented defensive backs in the middle rounds, and that unit could be on it’s way to becoming elite.
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Kaepernick is not a great NFL quarterback, but he is undoubtedly a play-maker with the ball in his hands. Plus, we have seen him have incredible success in the NFL with a strong group around him. Simply put, he has been in a terrible situation in San Francisco since Harbaugh left. He still has big upside in this league.
Perhaps they could do better, but this would be a strong buy-low move. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of Colin Kaepernick with the Chicago Bears.