Latest development with an NFC North rival just put the ideal stopgap left tackle on the table for the Bears to sign in free agency
Taylor Decker is parting ways after a decade with the Detroit Lions.
The Chicago Bears are going to have a lot of pressing needs to address next week when free agency opens with the most glaring being center, linebacker, safety, and adding an impact pass rusher.
The position of need that continues to get lost in the shuffle is left tackle. Chicago hoped to have a promising young starter in 2025 second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo, but a patellar tendon injury in the playoffs forces Trapilo out of the team’s 2026 plans. He can still be a viable option after this upcoming season, but it’s clear this team needs a stopgap option.
The best way to find a player of that caliber is through free agency. Unfortunately, starting-caliber left tackles rarely hit the market, and if they do, they’re egregiously overpriced. Well… the one option just got put on the table for the Bears to consider right before free agency opens.
Detroit Lions are parting ways with long-time LT Taylor Decker
It’s been a complicated offseason between the Detroit Lions and veteran left tackle Taylor Decker. For a minute, it seemed like Decker was expected to return for an 11th season with the Lions with the idea that Detroit would plan to draft his successor. Instead, the two sides are parting ways after contract talks broke down.
This is a massive decision by Detroit and puts a high-quality left tackle option on the market. What kind of market he actually gets will be an important aspect of this, but he is absolutely a player the Bears should be interested in bringing in on a one-year deal.
Decker obviously has familiarity playing in Ben Johnson’s offense and was a stalwart on Detroit’s offensive front. The only concern is that during his three seasons playing under Johnson’s offense, Decker allowed 20 sacks and 109 total pressures, pretty alarming numbers on paper. However, he was still named as a Pro Bowl selection in 2024 and had really solid PFF numbers in that span.
The alternative is running things back with Braxton Jones, Chicago’s fifth-round pick and three-year starter. The new coaching staff never got a chance to see what Jones can do when healthy and he’d be a lot cheaper than bringing in Decker.
Offensive lineman Dan Roushar will have a big say in this decision as well and has strong feelings about what he wants out of the left tackle position.
“I know what the left tackle position looks like in this league,” Roushar told former Pro Bowl tackle Terron Armstead on Armstead’s podcast. “You were the standard. That’s a rare player that comes along, but somebody has to play that position similar to that. It’s a faceless, nameless, guy right now.
Signing Decker would be pricey, but for a one-year stopgap option with familiarity, it’s worth checking in to see what his interest level is and what the price would be.
Chicago Bears News
Bears just got burned by their first free agent target and now must be prepared to enter a bidding war for the top dog next week
One of the top centers on the free agent market is already off the board.
