The Chicago Bears didn’t make any waves in free agency and the NFL Draft, but they did upgrade at some positions on offense and defense, including quarterback, tight end, pass rusher and safety.
But ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the Bears had the second worst offseason in the NFL, ranking just behind the Houston Texans. As far as the rest of the NFC North goes, Barnwell ranked the Detroit Lions at No. 29, the Green Bay Packers at No. 27 and the Minnesota Vikings weren’t yet ranked.
The biggest reason for that rationale was how the Bears handled the quarterback position this offseason in trading for quarterback Nick Foles, a move that has been both praised and criticized.
Despite the fact that Foles’ contract was a disaster for the Jaguars, the Bears sent a fourth-round pick to acquire him and didn’t force the Jags to eat any of the money, instead restructuring $21 million in guarantees to come due over the next three seasons. Foles could work out as the team’s starter, but this is the equivalent of signing an expensive three-year gym membership as a college senior. There couldn’t have been much of a market for Foles, and Andy Dalton, who was cut by the Bengals after the draft, came without the pick or significant cash attached.
The Jimmy Graham deal was likely the worst contract of free agency, as a Bears team that had already committed significant assets to tight ends Dion Sims, Adam Shaheen and Trey Burton under Pace gave Graham a two-year, $16 million deal with $9 million guaranteed and a truly inexplicable no-trade clause. Graham can’t block, and he was anonymous during his time with the Packers.
Barnwell went on to further explain about how the Bears mishandled the quarterback position, citing there were better options than Foles on the market. While that might be true, considering this shortened offseason amid the coronavirus pandemic, they brought in the best option in Foles. Foles has experience in a Matt Nagy-like offense, which is invaluable considering the on-field limitations.
While Barnwell spent most of the piece droning on about all of the areas the Bears didn’t handle well — signing tight end Jimmy Graham, not bringing in a veteran cornerback — he did give them props for upgrading the pass rush with Robert Quinn and bringing in some veterans like offensive lineman Germain Ifedi and cornerback Artie Burns, as well as not exercising Mitchell Trubisky’s fifth-year option.
But he also failed to mention that Chicago added a veteran safety in Tashaun Gipson to start alongside Eddie Jackson, as well as bringing in two likely-immediate starters in second-round tight end Cole Kmet and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
While the Bears didn’t have the greatest offseason — they were strapped for cap space, after all — they did make some upgrades on both offense and defense that should help them get back on track in 2020.
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