Chicago Bears named as a good fit for Pro-Bowl free agent
The Chicago Bears haven't been making a lot of noise this offseason in free agency. Of course, that's by design. New Bears general manager Ryan Poles has been tasked with rebuilding Chicago's roster from the ground up. That means cleaning house and saving money for a season before going all-in to build a Super Bowl […]
The Chicago Bears haven't been making a lot of noise this offseason in free agency.
Of course, that's by design.
New Bears general manager Ryan Poles has been tasked with rebuilding Chicago's roster from the ground up. That means cleaning house and saving money for a season before going all-in to build a Super Bowl contender.
It could make for fun seasons in 2023 and 2024, but it likely means that 2022 is not going to be very enjoyable for most fans.
Despite the rebuild, the Bears still need to add some players to at least help the team be somewhat competitive this upcoming season.
One of the players they could possibly add is free agent offensive lineman Duane Brown, a five-time Pro-Bowler.
Brown, who was originally selected by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, was named by Pro Football Focus this week as a potentially good fit for the Bears.
Brown came close to holding out for a new contract from the Seattle Seahawks last offseason before returning on a tweaked deal that provided protections. While he’ll be 37 years old for Week 1 of 2022, Brown wasn’t even the oldest tackle in the NFC West last year, as Los Angeles Rams stalwart Andrew Whitworth played into his 40s before riding off into the sunset with a Lombardi Trophy.
Brown hasn’t graded out below 70.0 since his rookie season in 2008 and hasn’t shown signs of slowing down to an extreme enough degree that teams should be overly concerned, as he can still make plays in the open field once he builds a head of steam.
Adding Brown would give quarterback Justin Fields some more protection which is needed.
The main objective for Fields this season is to get comfortable in Chicago's new offense under offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and to stay healthy.
Brown wouldn't be terribly expensive — the soon-to-be 37-year-old is projected by PFF to receive a two-year deal worth $16 million ($11 million in guaranteed money).
That's a reasonable contract for a Pro-Bowl caliber left tackle — even for a rebuilding Bears franchise that's trying to save as much money as possible.
Featured image via Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
