Chicago Bears Free Agency: Assessing 3 inside linebacker options
By Ryan Heckman
Nick Kwiatkoski
While Pierre-Louis is the wildcard of the group and could be labeled the cheaper option, overall, Nick Kwiatkoski should be looked at a little differently. You may not know what you’ll get from Pierre-Louis over the course of an entire season. But, with Kwiatkoski, you know what you’re going to get.
More from Da Windy City
- 3 takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks shootout loss to Nashville
- Chicago Cubs in the middle of chaos that is Shohei Ohtani’s free agency
- The Chicago Cubs are on a roller coaster of emotions chasing Shohei Ohtani
- Chicago Bears quietly compiling list of head coaching candidates
- Chicago White Sox News: Erick Fedde signs two-year deal
After he took over last year as the Bears’ main starter, all you have to do is some simple math to figure out what he would mean to the Bears during an entire season. If you took Kwiatkoski’s production in eight starts from 2019 and stretched it to an entire season, you’d end with a line like this:
136 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, eight passes defensed, 6.0 sacks, two safeties and two forced fumbles.
If you’re telling me this guy could end up with similar production as a full-time starter in 2020, sign me up.
The 26-year-old has improved immensely since being drafted in the fourth round out of West Virginia back in 2016. If Pace wants to go the safe route, he’ll bring Kwiatkoski back. If Pace doesn’t re-sign him as a starter, Kwiatkoski will go elsewhere, because he is definitely starting quality.