The Bears have plenty of important decisions to make heading into free agency, which is just about one month away.
Chicago is likely to target a veteran quarterback to challenge Mitchell Trubisky, bring in a veteran tight end to bring to the fold and focus on a slew of other needs. But some of the most important decisions they’ll have to make will come about what to do with their in-house free agents.
There are several high-profile guys set to hit the free agent market, including inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, defensive tackle Nick Williams and inside linebacker Danny Trevathan among others.
Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer believes Kwiatkoski is one of those relatively unknown free agents that is set to get paid this offseason.
Here’s the guy who’d never really gotten the chance to be a full-time starter, then did… at just the right time. The fourth-year former fourth-round pick started Chicago’s final seven games and showed that he can play the middle for someone, and he could get paid after guys like Cory Littleton and Joe Schobert come off the board. And maybe that someone will be his old coordinator, Vic Fangio in Denver.
Kwiatkoski is going to get paid. The question is: Will the Bears be the team to do it?
The Bears have several in-house pending free agents that they need to make a decision one. With three inside linebackers set to hit the open market — Kwiatkoski, Danny Trevathan and Kevin Pierre-Louis — there’s no doubt Chicago needs to re-sign at least one of those players.
The most logical option is Kwiatkoski, who is a younger and healthier option than Trevathan. Kwiatkoski shined in relief of the injured Trevathan, where he had career highs with 76 combined tackles, three sacks, four pass breakups and a safety, as well as one forced fumble. He was one of the better defenders down the stretch for the Bears.
Then there’s the question if the Bears feel comfortable enough with Pierre-Louis in a full-time role alongside Roquan Smith in the middle of that Bears defense. You figure the Bears aim to re-sign Kwiatkoski or Trevathan and possibly bring back Pierre-Louis in a reserve role.
But it sounds like if the Bears want to lock Kwiatkoski up for a long-term deal, they’re going to need to shell out some money for his services.
Is Kwiatkoski worth it? Absolutely.
Can the Bears afford it? Well, that’s another question entirely. I guess we’ll see.
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