Chicago Bears: 3 positives from the Andy Dalton signing
By Ryan Taylor
Another part of missing the trade with Russell Wilson was keeping some of the Bears’ personnel. While no Bears fan was willing to stake a claim for our players at a chance at Wilson, it’s nice to keep the young guys.
Jaylon Johnson, the rookie out of Utah last season, had an outstanding first year with the Bears. Johnson was targeted 78 times this season and allowed just 56.4% of those passes to be completed, only five of which were touchdowns. Johnson is a huge part of the Bears’ secondary now, and if Kyle Fuller is on the move to save cap space he will become the biggest part of it.
One possibility that I didn't think would happen: #Bears could wind up parting ways with veteran CB Kyle Fuller today. His cap hit is $20 million and absent a contract extension to lower that figure, it could happen. That's the buzz around the league right now.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 17, 2021
Roquan Smith, the third-year out of Georgia, is arguably the Bears’ best defensive asset. Last season, he recorded two interceptions, seven passes defended, one forced/recovered fumble, 98 solo tackles (fifth in the NFL), and 18 tackles for loss (second in the NFL). Smith is undoubtedly an important piece to the Bears’ defense, and it showed after the defense struggled when he went down due to injury in the playoff game against the Saints last season.
Last, but certainly not least, David Montgomery was speculated to be a possible trade piece for the Seahawks’ need of a young running back. Last season, he ran the ball 259 times (fourth in the NFL) for 1,101 yards (ninth in the NFL), and eight rushing touchdowns (18th). He also caught the ball 54 times for 438 yards and four touchdowns. Montgomery was the most important piece for getting the Bears into the playoffs after losing six straight games in the middle of the season.
Let’s recap this idea. The Dalton signing should bring the house down next season in terms of record. This will lead to the firing of Pace and Nagy, and the full rebuild of the Bears’ team with the hopes of getting a young quarterback along with solid-minded coaches. Better times ahead Bears fans.