You don’t have to be a die-hard Chicago Bears fan to know that Ryan Pace has some work to do this offseason. They started nicely by putting together what looks like a much improved coaching staff, but now it’s onto the product on the field.
March 14th begins the new league year and that means NFL free agency will be dominating headlines. The Bears are sure to be big players, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Pace has to do what he can to ensure Mitch Trubisky gets some help. His backfield is loaded with talent, but beyond that, he doesn’t have a whole lot to work with.
The second season for a young quarterback is a pivotal one. It can be the spring forward that proves he is on the right track in becoming a solid pro. It can also be one where we see them take a step back. Coaching and personnel is what comes into play here. Look at Dak Prescott as a great example.
While there have been some very intriguing names tossed around, linked to the Bears, there are also those out there whom the Bears should steer very clear from. One would have thought that last spring that same list would have included a name like Mike Glennon, but Pace still disappointed us all when he brought the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback to Chicago.
Like Glennon, those same type of guys exist this offseason. The following are five offensive free agents that Pace and the Bears shouldn’t even entertain meeting with in March.
5. WR John Brown
John Brown can be an electric playmaker downfield at times. Brown spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals and gave fans a handful of incredible plays while there.
If you look at the career-long catches for Brown, he has put up some big numbers including a long of 75 yards. His ability to get downfield and blow past cornerbacks is one of the most impressive characteristics he brings to the game. But, it’s the fact that he hasn’t been on the field much that limits him.
In 2015, Brown caught 65 passes for 1,003 yards and seven scores. Last year, those numbers came down significantly. It was partially due to the quarterback situation but mostly due to injury problems. Brown only caught 21 balls for 299 yards and three touchdowns in 2017.
Brown’s inability to stay on the field should speak volumes to Pace. Chicago is not looking for another Kevin White. They’re looking for guys who have proven they can either stay healthy or fight through smaller injuries and still get on the field.
Brown is not a player I want to see in Chicago next year and I believe Pace needs to stay away. There are so many more options in either the draft or among free agents available. Whether or not Pace brings in a big name wide receiver, a skillset like Brown is always something he can find deeper in the draft. Pace has shown he can find players in any round of the draft, and if he’s looking for someone like Brown, that’s where he should look.
4. QB Mark Sanchez
I am sure I wasn’t the only person shaking their head last spring when the Bears signed not only Glennon, but Mr. Butt Fumble himself. I still don’t know why Mark Sanchez was signed, but thankfully it was only for a year.
Sure, he has plenty of experience. But, so do a lot of other guys who are available come March. Sanchez never saw the field in 2017, which was a positive, and Pace needs to keep it that way.
I bet he is great to have in the locker room. I get it. A lot of times, backups are signed for that reason. Leadership and experience are two key components to have in a locker room. But, coming from a guy like Sanchez, I’m not buying it.
You’re talking about a guy with a career passer rating of merely 73.9. He has thrown 86 touchdowns in his career to go along with – guess what – 86 interceptions.
Look, backup quarterback is an important position. I firmly believe Glennon will be cut, leaving Sanchez as an option to bring back. But, it simply can’t happen. If Chicago wants to sign a veteran to back up Trubisky, fine. There are a few out there worth looking into. But, Sanchez has to be done in Chicago.
3. WR Terrelle Pryor
You can go back and look at my tweets from a year ago and you might just find one or two in support of the Bears signing Terrelle Pryor in 2017. I will not pretend as though I wasn’t disappointed when Pryor went to the Washington Redskins. The crop of receivers dwindled quickly last year, leaving the Bears high and dry.
The fact of the matter is, though, Pryor only has one good year at wide receiver under his belt. That came in 2016 with the Cleveland Browns and their abysmal quarterback situation. To go to Washington, playing with Kirk Cousins, and have the season he did is mind-boggling.
In 2016, Pryor broke out as a receiver with 77 catches for 1,077 yards and four scores. Last season, he was hardly on the field for the Redskins and, when he was, he wasn’t even close to productive. His 2017 campaign ended with 20 receptions for 240 yards – that’s just plain disgusting.
At times, it looked like Pryor didn’t care. Maybe he didn’t. I don’t know. Maybe something happened last year that caused a significant downfall in his attitude, motivation and outlook on the game. It’s tough to figure out, to say the least.
When it comes down to it, I would rather not have Pace look at the potential of Pryor. Sure, 2016 was fantastic for him. But, coming off a bizarre year where he rarely played and had the likes of Ryan Grant seeing more action than he did, I’d stay far and clear from Pryor.
2. TE Jimmy Graham
It’s well known that the Bears should add to their tight end group this year. After seeing Zach Miller go down with one of the worst football injuries you will ever see, and Dion Sims just not panning out, it is absolutely time to get a new face or two in at this position.
Adam Shaheen certainly looks as though he could eventually break out. He was finally trusted by Dowell Loggains to run routes more often in the second half of the season last year, and looked very good at times. Looking at Nagy’s offense, there will definitely be more in store for Shaheen in 2018.
But, with how often you see teams using two tight ends – as I’ve said in previous pieces – it is imperative for Chicago to go after another legitimate candidate here. Unfortunately, I do not believe Jimmy Graham is that guy.
Sure, last year he saw lots of red zone action. Graham caught 10 touchdowns last season. But, it still felt as though he wasn’t himself. The Seattle Seahawks have gotten some grief for not truly using Graham from the moment they traded for him. But, maybe they started to see something we didn’t.
Graham has taken a lot of hits throughout his career, especially playing like a wide receiver and being able to go over the middle often. Are the hits catching up to him? Is his age limiting him sooner than he may have liked to see?
Regardless of the reasoning, Graham is a shell of his former self, no matter how many touchdowns he scored last year. I don’t think he could necessarily improve on 2017 as he will only be a year older in 2018, so Pace needs to look elsewhere at tight end.
1. WR Sammy Watkins
I see a whole lot of Bears fans clamoring for a Sammy Watkins splash – that is, if he were to get out of Los Angeles. First of all, it is highly unlikely he makes it out of there anyway. However, the fact that the Los Angeles Rams are rumored to be mulling the franchise tag for a guy that finished, honestly, as their third-best receiver, is hilarious.
Sure, Watkins is a heck of a player when he’s 100 percent healthy. The question is, though, when is he completely healthy? Every other injury report throughout his career, it seems, has had his name on it one way or another.
The biggest issue, here, is that a lot of his nagging injuries are dealing with his feet. Guess what? If you don’t have healthy feet, you can’t play the position – period. Moreover, many of his foot injuries have lasted a long time and don’t always appear to be major. Watkins has just had a hard time recovering fully. That’s alarming.
If you could guarantee that Watkins would always be completely healthy going forward, then absolutely, I could see him in the navy and orange. But, we all know that is not going to be the case. Therefore, especially because of the money he will demand, the Bears need not even look at him.