Chicago Bears: Avoiding Le’Veon Bell was the best scenario for team

Late Tuesday evening, news broke that Le’Veon Bell intends to sign a contract with the New York Jets. As much as Chicago Bears fans would have enjoyed him on the team, it’s probably best that they avoided the scenario altogether.

The Le’Veon Bell saga finally came to an end late Tuesday night when news broke that he plans to sign a 4 year/$52.5M contract with the New York Jets, ending any possibility of signing with the Chicago Bears. The Jets were the perceived favorite during the late stages of negotiations, with the Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, and Bears among others who were also connected to the star free agent running back.

Early Tuesday morning, Ryan Pace and company created a stir among fans when they restructured Khalil Mack‘s contract, converting $13M of his base salary and roster bonus into a signing bonus. This move freed up $11M in cap space for 2019, leading fans to wonder what the front office was up to.

Later in the day, however, the only move that the front office would make would be agreeing with former Patriots WR/RB Cordarrelle Patterson on a 2 year/$10M deal. Not exactly the way most fans envisioned Pace & Co. to use this newly created cap space.

Don’t get me wrong, the front office and a majority of the fan base would have been ecstatic to see Bell in a Bears jersey next season. With rumors circulating this offseason that the team is shopping Jordan Howard, the inherent follow-up question would be, “Who will be the workhorse running back?”

While Bell would have been the every down back for the Bears, alongside Tarik Cohen as a change-of-pace/wide receiver, there was significant hesitation surrounding not only his workload that he’s had throughout his career, but also the fact that he sat out the entire 2018 season.

Granted, someone of Bell’s elite stature shouldn’t be hindered going forward by sitting out a season, however, the tread on his tires through his career is nothing to scoff at.

Yes, the Bears might like to bring in another running back to complement Cohen and be more of an explosive back than they have in Howard, even after the Mike Davis signing. However, this was something that was simply not realistic due to their current cap constraints.

As many fans know, the Bears have a starting safety position to fill after the departure of Adrian Amos to the Green Bay Packers. Not to mention, the front office must remain mindful of the impending extensions that Cody Whitehair and Leonard Floyd will be due, should they choose to offer them.

Overall, the running back position is one that many NFL teams are choosing to fill via later round draft picks or a compilation of cheaper signings on the open market. Of course, exceptions lie in the outliers like Le’Veon Bell. However, Pace & Co. simply didn’t see the ability to take a huge risk at a position that could be filled cheaper via other routes, especially with impending financial decisions later this offseason/in the near future.