Should Chicago Bears target Dion Lewis in free agency?

The Chicago Bears need playmakers, and versatile running back Dion Lewis might be about to hit the open market. Could he make sense for the Bears?

As the Chicago Bears head into a brave new world with Matt Nagy at the helm, they can use offensive playmakers of all kinds to improve their performance over last season.

Might that include adding another pass-catching running back with the ability to create mismatches? Why not? Just because they have Tarik Cohen already doesn’t mean that they can’t use another useful player at the position.

And one very well could hit the open market out of New England if the Bears have any interest in him.

In a podcast with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Patriots running back Dion Lewis seemed to indicate that he doesn’t fully expect New England to re-sign him this off-season, preferring to go younger and cheaper at running back.

This wouldn’t surprise anyone, as Bill Belichick tends to believe more in his system than individual talents (can’t blame him). He has cut or traded many a person before having to pay them extra for value that he thought someone else could provide.

And if he does that with Lewis, the Chicago Bears should give Lewis a call to see how much he wants.

As a running back, he won’t command nearly as much as, say, a free agent wide receiver would. And given his injury history, though he’s obviously full healed now from his torn ACL, he won’t be able to ask for much more than $5 million a year most likely (though a lot of people probably won’t want to pay that for a running back).

But though he’s 27 years old, he has less tread on his tires than most running backs of the same age. As such, the Bears could realistically get 2-3 good years from him if they signed him.

And his versatility and playmaking could open up all kinds of avenues for the Chicago Bears.

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For one thing, he’s a proven third-down and change-of-pace back that can both take burdens off of Jordan Howard and serve as an alternative to Cohen if he struggles in pass protection.

Plus, it may also allow Nagy to explore Cohen as a true “Joker” back without overly limiting his playing time. They can move him all over the field, maybe even partly converting him into a slot receiver. In that sense, it could free things up for Cohen in that sense to just worry about getting the football.

And just imagine packages that could feature Lewis and Cohen on the field at the same time. Linebackers would go insane.

Furthermore, Lewis can also return kicks (very well, in fact), allowing Cohen to potentially stick with punt returning or even to focus on his offensive responsibilities more.

As I’ve laid out, having two dynamic, multi-faceted running backs doesn’t have to harm one or the other. On the contrary, it can benefit both, potentially, if the Bears use them creatively.

Next: Chicago Bears pre-Combine mock draft

Anyway, we still don’t know what Lewis’ situation is just yet. He could still take a pay cut to stay with the Patriots, though that seems less likely. And the Bears might not be willing to pay Lewis what he might want.

Actually, there’s a really good chance that will be the case. As such, a lot of conjecture above will likely end up as wishful thinking.

Still, if Dion Lewis hits the open market, the Chicago Bears had better put in a call to his agent. A playmaker is a playmaker, regardless of the position, and the Bears need some.