Chicago Bears: Will Ryan Pace Pull the Trigger on Jarvis Landry?

In my inaugural article for “Da Windy City”, I take a look at the new twist in the Jarvis Landry saga. Should the Chicago Bears look to trade for the talented pass-catcher?

The Jarvis Landry saga continues for the Chicago Bears and their fans.

Earlier this week, the Miami Dolphins slapped the dreaded franchise tag on stud wideout Jarvis Landry. The management probably hasn’t been pleased with their ROI after drafting DeVante Parker and probably weren’t ready to hand the reigns to Kenny Stills.

However, they weren’t willing to part ways with Landry, the league’s leading pass catcher. But the interesting thing about professional sports is that plans can change in an instant.

Yesterday afternoon, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald claimed that it would be a “stunner” if the Dolphins didn’t look to move Landry in the coming weeks. Miami does remain open to signing him to a long-term deal, but a trade remains the “likeliest outcome”.

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Now,  the Dolphins tagging Landry does not necessarily mean that they were looking to lock him up to a long-term deal. Instead, they will be likely looking to get a nice haul of draft capital in return.

Assuming Beasley is correct with this report, then Miami shouldn’t have too much trouble finding him a new home.

This year’s free agent crop of receivers isn’t exactly worth writing home about. Allen Robinson and Sammy Watkins are potential tag candidates. So, the next best wideout available might be a tie between Paul Richardson and Terrelle Pryor.

How Does Landry’s Availablity Affect the Bears?

Rotoworld points out some possible landing spots:

"The Ravens should be in the mix for Landry after attempting to trade for him last year. Beasley also mentioned the Browns, who own six of top 65 picks in the upcoming draft, and the 49ers as possible suitors."

But what does this mean for our beloved Chicago Bears?

We can probably all agree GM Ryan Pace has done a solid job of drafting young talent in the past. He has also had some pretty bad whiffs in free agency.

As such, I’m sure quite a few Bears fans would rather see him deal a few draft picks to get Landry. If they don’t do that, they face a possible alternative of signing Paul Richardson to a four-year deal, expecting him to be nothing less than a #2 option for Mitchell Trubisky.

A rather stark difference, wouldn’t you say?

If the price is right, Pace may look to knock out one of Chicago’s biggest offseason needs. This would allow them to bypass receiver early in the draft and target other needs like offensive line and edge-rusher. Mountain-man guard Quenton Nelson or athletic linebacker Tremaine Edmunds would then become popular targets with the 8th pick in the draft.

What I Think Will Happen

In my opinion, I believe the Bears stand pat and try to be calculated with who they add to the wideout corps.

Perhaps they could sign Marqise Lee and retain Kendall Wright and Cameron Meredith. For the draft, targeting D.J Moore (Maryland) or Courtland Sutton (SMU) in the second round are sensable adds.

Also, they could use one of their two fourth-rounders to add depth. I like Daeshon Hamilton (Penn State) or Keke Coutee (Texas Tech).

Next: Chicago Bears in mix for Sammy Watkins?

Making a deal for Jarvis Landry means the Bears must absolutely lock him up long-term.

In turn, this takes away future cap space that should be used for extending younger players. Guys like Adrian Amos and Eddie Goldman will soon be eligible for extensions and keeping them around for the long haul can’t hurt. There are some tough decisions for Ryan Pace on the horizon.