Chicago Bears: 5 options to replace Josh Sitton

The Chicago Bears declined the final year of Josh Sitton’s contract, leaving a void at right guard.  Where does the team go from here to replace him?

In a somewhat surprising move, the Chicago Bears declined the final year of Josh Sitton’s contract.  In doing so, the team freed up approximately $8 million in cap space.  They also created a hole at the right guard position.  Needless to say, Ryan Pace’s job this offseason just became a little tougher.  Below we take a look at some of the team’s options to replace Sitton.

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Very recently, the Chicago Bears offensive line was considered a strength.  However, Kyle Long is currently recovering from multiple offseason surgeries. The Bears have also moved Cody Whitehair back and forth between center and guard, no doubt impacting his growth.  Now, with the news of Sitton’s release, the team must address the offensive line this offseason.

Immediately following the news, fans were scouring the internet looking for free agent options to replace Sitton.  However, Ryan Pace has a number of needs to address through free agency and the draft.  Therefore, he could look internally to replace Sitton.

If Pace does choose to fill the gap internally, he has two realistic options. Spoiler alert: Hroniss Grasu is not one of them.

1. Jordan Morgan

Jordan Morgan represents the most intriguing internal option.  Last year, Pace drafted Morgan in the 5th round out of Kutztown (PA) College.  Shortly after the start of the season, the Bears placed Morgan on injured reserve.  The team was initially slow to disclose the nature of Morgan’s injury. The team later revealed a shoulder injury hampered Morgan’s ability to develop prior to the start of the season.  Clearly, from the video below, he is healing nicely.

Nevertheless, the team saw enough in him to stash him on IR rather than outright release him.  Morgan possesses the physical tools to play OG at the NFL level.  He has the necessary size, standing 6′ 3″ and weighing 309 lbs.  He also has long arms, measuring at 34 5/8″.   However, where Morgan struggled was with respect to his technique.  With the addition of Harry Hiestand, perhaps he can correct his technique issues this offseason and compete for a starting position.

2. Eric Kush

Although he is perhaps best known for rocking stylish tank-tops, Eric Kush represents a legitimate option at OG for the Bears.  In fact, prior to tearing his hamstring, Kush was expected to play a prominent role on the offensive line.

The Chicago Bears claimed Kush off of waivers from the St. Louis Rams prior to the 2016 season.  Initially, he was slated to provide much-needed depth on the offensive line.  However, leading up to the start of the season he was working with the starting unit, filling in for the injured Kyle Long.  That suggests the Bears were confident enough going into the season with Kush as their starting LG.  It also means they had more faith in Kush than former third-round pick Hroniss Grasu.

Furthermore, Kush represents a relatively cheap option with only a $1.4 million cap hit in 2018.  The Bears may decide to go with Kush, who is a serviceable option, and spend their free agent money elsewhere on other needs.

Kush is also the internal option with the most NFL experience.  From that perspective, he would have the edge over Morgan.  If Morgan does not make significant strides this offseason, and the Bears roll with what they have on the roster, it is likely Kush will be their guy.

3. Justin Pugh

If Ryan Pace does not like the idea of starting off the year with either Kush or Morgan at RG, then he will look first to free agency.  There are a number of interesting options this year, including Justin Pugh of the New York Giants.  Pugh has consistently been one of the most reliable offensive guards in the game since coming out of Syracuse University.

While some may look at his statistics and performance last season and consider it a down year, there was a good reason.  Like the Chicago Bears, the Giants offensive line was hit by the injury bug.  This forced the team to play Pugh out of position at right tackle.  While the versatile lineman has played left tackle and right tackle in his career, his best position is at guard – specifically left guard.  He is universally considered a dominant left guard in the NFL, and would certainly be an upgrade to Sitton.

Although he has not specifically played the right guard position, he has demonstrated enough versatility throughout his career that a switch should not be an issue.

However, it is not all sunshine and rainbows with Pugh.  Most notably, Pugh has a substantial injury history.  In fact, in his entire career, he has only played one full season, and that was his rookie year.  Since then, his games per year have been on the decline.

In addition, because he is one of the top offensive guards in free agency, he will want to be paid as one.  Perhaps teams will be hesitant to give him a long-term deal because of his injury history.  Either way, the Bears would be wise not to overpay for Pugh.  They have had enough offensive lineman miss time due to injuries.  They do not need to tie up more money in players who cannot stay on the field.

4. Andrew Norwell

Andrew Norwell is certainly the most popular free agent option.  With his long locks, the Carolina Panthers standout might even remind some Bears fans of Josh Sitton.  However, that is likely where the similarities end.  The 26-year-old Norwell is a dominant offensive lineman who has not missed a game in two years.  He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2017 and would be a tremendous upgrade to Sitton.

Assuming Kyle Long returns healthy, and Whitehair continues to develop at center, Norwell would make the interior line a dominant force.  Norwell is by far the best offensive guard (and perhaps offensive lineman) in the 2017 free agent class.

By now, you may be wondering why in the world the Bears would not sign Norwell if the Panthers do not place the franchise tag on him.  The primary reason is that the Bears would likely have to break the bank in order to sign him.  Earlier this week, it was reported that the New York Giants were prepared to make Norwell the highest paid offensive guard in NFL history.

If true, it is hard to imagine the Bears would tie up that kind of coin in an interior lineman.  Considering they signed Kyle Long to a 4 year/$40 million dollar extension in 2016, that is a lot of money tied up in your offensive guards.  While a Norwell signing would excite every Bears fan, it is unlikely at his asking price.

5. Zach Fulton

This brings us to the free agent option that is most likely.  Not only that but signing Zach Fulton also makes the most sense.  Obviously, there is a logical connection between the Bears and Fulton.  Fulton currently plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Nagy’s previous employer.  Not only will Nagy be able to provide tremendous insight into Fulton’s skillset, but will be able to speak to what type of teammate he is.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of this previous relationship is the fact that Fulton will have some familiarity with the offense Nagy plans to implement in Chicago.  This would provide a tremendous benefit to the rest of the offensive line who could lean on Fulton to help them learn the new blocking schemes.  It also gives the Bears a “plug-and-play” offensive lineman who could make a seamless transition for this new coaching staff.

Beyond the personal connection, Fulton is a very good offensive lineman.  He is fairly big for a guard, at 6′ 5″ and 324 lbs.  However, he moves extremely well for his size and has very quick and nimble feet.  He engages quickly off the snap, and constantly churns his feet to drive defensive linemen out of position.

Another intriguing aspect of signing Fulton is his versatility.  Fulton has played 63 games in his NFL career.  During that time, he has rotated between both guard positions as well as center.  Our own Khari Thompson wrote a piece earlier this week stressing the importance of keeping Whitehair at center for his own development.

Next: Franchise tag coming for Kyle Fuller?

However, If the Bears do decide to move Whitehair back to OG, Fulton could easily slide over to center.  With the number of injuries the Bears have had, it would be a very good thing to have an offensive lineman skilled at multiple positions.

Bottom Line

Although it was a mild surprise, the decision to release Josh Sitton is not necessarily a bad one.  It will allow the team to get younger at the position, and replace him with a player who fits into their long-term plans.  Ryan Pace also has a number of options to consider in replacing Sitton.  Bears fans just have to hope he picks the right one.