Chicago Bears: 5 free agent tackles to replace Charles Leno
By Ryan Heckman
Chicago Bears’ potential replacements for Charles Leno: Mitchell Schwartz
Looking at the remaining free agent pool, it is hard to argue with going after one of the guys who has protected Patrick Mahomes for the last couple of seasons. Mitchell Schwartz was one of the few victims of the Kansas City Chiefs’ overhaul on their offensive line.
Schwartz missed most of the 2020 campaign with a back injury, and he attempted to rehab it enough to come back in time for the postseason. However, that never happened. Schwartz ended up going under the knife to get the issue finally resolved and expects to be ready for the 2021 season. Unfortunately for him, the Chiefs still decided to move on.
Injury Update: I’m getting surgery today. I was hoping to recover enough to get back for playoffs/Super Bowl but that didn’t happen. It’s time to address the issue. The recovery process isn’t too long, which is nice. Looking forward to a healthy 2021! #Chiefs #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/etGfSoCCd6
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) February 24, 2021
This coming season, Schwartz was set to make over $11 million which was towards the top of the market for his position, according to PFF. That said, it looks like he will be taking far less money to make his comeback on a new team.
For the Bears, this could be great news. If they chose to go after one of the best right tackles in the business, maybe Pace could get him for around $5 million on a 1-year deal.
The former second-round pick back in 2012 is now 31 years old and, at this stage, coming back from a back injury is definitely a giant red flag. But, if Chicago waits it out until August, they could end up reaping the reward of signing a healthy Schwartz.