NFL.com names key free agent the Chicago Bears should sign
Could new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles make a big splash in free agency? NFL.com thinks he should. Around the NFL writer Nick Shook recently came up with a match in free agency for each NFC team. And he went with New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead for the Bears. Here's what Shook […]
Could new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles make a big splash in free agency?
NFL.com thinks he should.
Around the NFL writer Nick Shook recently came up with a match in free agency for each NFC team.
And he went with New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead for the Bears.
Here's what Shook had to say about the Bears and Armstead:
The Saints are still projected to be well over the cap, even after restructuring three contracts last week, and Armstead — who's been in New Orleans since the Saints drafted him in 2013 — isn't going to come cheap. The Bears need a rock-solid left tackle and would find exactly that in Armstead, who carries with him an impeccable reputation as a leader. Signing Armstead would be quite a way to start a new era in Chicago for general manager Ryan Poles and provide much-needed protection for Justin Fields.
I get Shook's thinking on this — left tackle is one of the most important positions in football. And Armstead is one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL — when he's healthy.
That's been the problem with Armstead over the last few years. He hasn't been able to stay on the field. Armstead missed nine games in 2021 and he underwent knee surgery after the season. He has never played a full season in the NFL (Armstead missed 21 games from 2016-2018).
Armstead is going to command a lot of cash on the open market. Is spending close to $24 million a year on Armstead (Spotrac's projection) worth it for the Bears? Especially when Chicago needs some wide receiver help?
I don't think it is. If the Bears are going to spend that much on a free agent — specifically a left tackle — they don't need to sign a player with the hope that he stays healthy. It needs to be more a sure thing (that money could be better spent on a player like wide receiver Amari Cooper).
It'll certainly be interesting to see how Poles attacks his first offseason as the Bears' general manager.
Featured image via Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
