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Bears Free Agency Day 1 Roundup
- Updated: March 10, 2017
While free agent deals were being reported Thursday, this came across my Facebook timeline:
I’m guessing more than a few fans are asking similar questions, so let’s get into this:
Let’s address the loss of Alshon Jeffery first. Yeah, it sucks, but it looks like Jeffery wanted more than not just the Bears, but any team was willing to offer for a long-term deal, hence the one-year “prove it” deal in Philadelphia. Not franchising Jeffery again was the right move – he’s not worth $17.5 million. The team needed Jeffery to hit the open market to show that the offers his side thought were going to be there wouldn’t, and the team was right about that. But then the Eagles came along with the one-year big money deal and muddied that plan up.
Onto Mike Glennon.
The good:
Glennon has real skill as a passer. The big downside is that he’s about as immobile as QBs get. But look at his 2013 season: 59.4% completion, 2608 yards, 19 TD, 9 INT in 13 games. As a rookie. In a system run by a first-time OC. Protected by a Swiss cheese offensive line. Throwing to a receiver group that consisted of Vincent Jackson and various jabronis. This is where losing Jeffery really hurts – he would have been a good fit with Glennon. But Cameron Meredith, Kevin White, and Markus Wheaton make for a better group than he had in Tampa that rookie season.
The bad:
He’s unproven and Lovie Smith saw Josh McCown as a better option. (Though he was proven wrong.)
The why I like this deal:
In a vacuum, giving $15 million a year to an unproven backup doesn’t look good. But consider the Bears’ options here:
- Sign Glennon and overpay, even by QB standards.
- Trade for Jimmy Garropolo.
- Draft a QB.
(Tony Romo wasn’t happening and even if he was realistic at all, he has major injury concerns.)
Let’s eliminate option #2 right now. The Patriots are asking for 2 1st-round picks. There’s no way that should happen. As for drafting a QB, I don’t see anyone who looks like a sure thing in this class. Taking anyone in this class at #3 would be a reach. So here we are. The deal only includes $18.5 million in guaranteed money, with $16 million of that coming in the first year of the contract, so if Glennon stinks, the Bears can walk away from the deal relatively painlessly. They’d basically be in the situation they’re in now again next year, only with better QBs available in the draft.
Quintin Demps is an upgrade over what the Bears had at safety and while he is in his early 30s, he doesn’t have a ton of tread on his tires and we’ve seen safeties play well in their 30s. Good move.
Dontari Poe wasn’t happening. He’s not a fit for the Bears’ scheme. Yes, the Bears run a 3-4, but Vic Fangio employs a one-gap scheme, for which Eddie Goldman‘s a good fit. This is why the talk of him being let go over philosophical differences with John Fox were so ridiculous; there’s not a ton of difference between a Fangio 3-4 and Fox 4-3. Dontari Poe is a great two-gapper and while he has the ability to penetrate, that’s not his game. It makes no sense for him to come to Chicago.
The Bears also added TE Dion Sims, who should be a solid complement to Zach Miller, and Markus Wheaton to bolster the receiving group.
Bear Down!
Twitter: @KSchroeder_312
E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com
