Chicago Bears: Sammy Watkins will not be tagged, per report

As the Chicago Bears look to solidify the wide receiver position, a new free agent target is likely to hit the market.

Earlier this week a report surfaced that the Jacksonville Jaguars were not going to place the franchise tag on Allen Robinson.  On Tuesday, the Chicago Bears received more good news regarding Sammy Watkins.

Early Tuesday morning, Jason La Canfora reported that the Los Angeles Rams will use the franchise tag on safety Lamarcus Joyner and not Sammy Watkins.

For weeks, the Rams have been trying to decide which player they would tag.  Remember, they also considered placing the tag on Trumaine Johnson, but it looks like that will not happen either.

Getting back to Watkins, the news comes as a bit of a surprise.  However, the Rams likely felt comfortable with this move after the emergence of Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods last season.  Although the Rams still have until 4 p.m. eastern time today to change their minds, a somewhat cryptic tweet from Sammy Watkins suggests that will not happen.

https://twitter.com/sammywatkins/status/971042572054548481

If Watkins hits the open market, expect the Chicago Bears to be all over him when the legal tampering period begins on March 12th.  Watkins, when healthy, is a legitimate deep threat.  In Matt Nagy’s offense, it is critical to have a receiver that can vertically stretch the field.  Since coming out of Clemson University, that has been what Watkins is known for.

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Watkins has struggled significantly to stay on the field.  Due to various injuries, he has missed a total of twelve games over the last three seasons.  This is cause for concern as he will certainly be looking for a long-term deal.

Will the Bears feel comfortable giving him a multi-year contract in the range of $12 million per year?  It is important to note that Allen Robinson, their other main wide receiver target also comes with injury concerns.

Therefore, the Bears might need to assume some risk if they truly want to upgrade their receiving corps next season.

Others will also argue that when on the field, Watkins failed to live up to his talent level.  For example, last season while playing in the Rams’ dynamic offense, Watkins had only 39 receptions for 593 yards and 8 touchdowns.  For a deep threat playmaker, you would expect those numbers to be higher.

Next: Robinson and Watkins to hit market for Bears?

Bottom Line

While Watkins does not come without risk, the fact that another quality wide receiver option will hit free agency is great news for the Chicago Bears.  It gives them another option in an otherwise weak free agent class.

He would also be a substantial upgrade to what is currently on their roster.  Therefore, expect the Bears to inquire into both Sammy Watkins and Allen Robinson once they are free to do so.