Free agency is just about two months away, and the Bears have plenty of decisions to make both in-house and on the open market. With multiple areas of need, free agency and the NFL Draft will be important for general manager Ryan Pace.
With all eyes turned to the divisional playoffs, here are 7 pending free agents the Bears should keep an eye on Saturday:
QB Marcus Mariota
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Tennessee Titans
Technically, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Marcus Mariota won’t see the field on Saturday against the Ravens. And yet, he’s someone the Bears are surely keeping their eyes on this offseason.
Before Ryan Pace risked it all for Mitchell Trubisky, he was enamored with Mariota back in 2016 before Tennessee selected him second overall. Given the fact that both Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray are set to become free agents, Mariota is someone that Pace could target as competition for Trubisky this offseason — and perhaps as a backup plan should Trubisky struggle in 2020.
No matter how great any NFL team, there’s always that one potentially fatal flaw. Here are the things that could upend each wild-card team.
No NFL team is perfect, no matter how great they may be. The 1972 Dolphins, the only team in NFL history to put up a perfect season from start to finish, lived in an era where they didn’t need much in the way of quarterback performance. So, they could deal with the broken leg and dislocated ankle that cost quarterback Bob Griese eight games in the regular season. The 2007 Patriots, who came within one game of joining the 1972 Miami team with a perfect season, found it more and more difficult to pace themselves through a defensive regression that started with linebacker Rosevelt Colvin’s foot injury in late November.
So, if even the greatest teams in NFL history have potentially fatal flaws, what does that say about the eight wild-card entrants in the 2019 postseason? It says that, for each of those teams, they’ll have to overcome the things that could upend them from the first round on, hoping that the things that make them great are more present at the most opportune moments.
Here are the most obvious flaws for each of those teams as we head into wild-card weekend.
Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen’s ceiling
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The Bills have an exciting run game with veteran Frank Gore, rookie Devin Singletary, and quarterback Josh Allen. They have perhaps the strongest defense from front to back in this particular wild-card group. They have Tre’Davious White, the only cornerback this season to pick off six passes without allowing a touchdown. Were it not for the relatively low ceiling Allen brings as a passer, they might be the most formidable team in the 2019 postseason. But Allen’s low ceiling is there, and it might be a problem.
Allen has been reasonably efficient. He’s thrown just three interceptions this season since his three-interception meltdown against the Patriots in Week 4, so at least he’s learned to minimize the damage to his own offense. And he does have 17 touchdown passes in that time period, so productive plays are a possibility — especially in concert with John Brown, who may be the NFL’s most underrated receiver. And certainly, Allen’s two-touchdown game against New England in Week 16 was a nice summary of his growth as a passer this season. But if the Bills wind up in a one- or two-touchdown hole in the playoffs, can Allen turn it loose effectively enough to mount a comeback? For a guy with a big arm, he’s been relatively quiet on bog downfield plays — just 18 completions on 68 attempts for 589 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions on passes of 20 or more air yards this season. And he’s not been terribly efficient under pressure this season, with a 41.2% completion rate and five touchdowns to four interceptions when his dropbacks have been disrupted.
Perhaps the 2019 playoffs is when Allen hits the proverbial next level. If that’s the case, the Bills instantly become as tough an out as you’ll find in this postseason and beyond. If not, everything else will have to work perfectly for a long postseason run.
Vikings fans probably shudder at the thought of taking another corner in the first round, but with Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander both headed toward free agency and Xavier Rhodes struggling for much of the season, the team may need reinforcements. Hall missed most of 2019 with an ankle injury, but he’s long, instinctive in coverage, and aggressive as a tackler.
I don’t think Alexander and Waynes will leave the Vikings this upcoming offseason, but it would be a huge surprise if Rhodes was on the team. Rhodes, who is already seeing his playing time dwindle, is due $10.5 million next season but the Vikings can cut ties with him for $4.8 million.
The Vikings starting cornerback was held out of Sunday night’s game with an ankle injury.
The Vikings were without cornerback Trae Waynes (ankle) in Week 10 against the Cowboys in Dallas.
Minnesota won, but did have some trouble with its pass defense.
Waynes, who by no means has been great this season, is expected to be back on Sunday against the Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“Yeah, I think we will (have him back),” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday.
The Vikings have two other injuries lingering as well. Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) and nose tackle Linval Joseph (knee) both missed Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
We don’t have a great feel on their availability quite yet, but will have a better idea this week when practices start.
It’s worth noting that the Vikings have a bye in Week 12, so if Thielen and Joseph aren’t ready to go in Week 11, they’ll have two weeks off before the team takes on the Seahawks in Week 13.
