GM Ryan Poles is in a difficult spot. With only five draft picks at his disposal, his efforts to retool the Chicago Bears roster may have to involve free agency more than he’d like. Especially with upwards of 30 roster spots to fill. There will be a lot of new faces on this roster by the time the dust settles at the end of April. It is only a matter of figuring out who may or may not sign with them.
Free agency isn’t a bad thing. If appropriately navigated, it can be an excellent way for a team to bolster its roster. However, it also comes with significant pitfalls. The biggest is sinking resources into players that might be a notable name but don’t bring the same value they once did. When looking at the current market, here are some names Poles and his front office must avoid.
DESHAUN 53-YARD BOMB TO WILL FULLER 😳
This game is amazing.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/u20GnPwGHw
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 18, 2020
The Chicago Bears can’t afford ill-advised ventures like these
Will Fuller (WR)
Poles said from the moment he took over, the Bears offense would put greater emphasis on speed. He wants a fast team. So it’s only natural they might be drawn to Fuller. Between 2017 and 2020, he averaged a healthy 15.3 yards per reception. The big-play ability was hard to ignore. There has always been one big problem. Fuller can’t stay healthy. The receiver has failed to play more than 11 games each year in the past five seasons. He managed only six in 2021 with the Miami Dolphins. The guy is talented, but he can’t stay on the field.
Eric Fisher (OT)
At one point in time, Fisher was one of the better left tackles in the NFL. He made the Pro Bowl in 2018 and 2020 while helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in 2019. His connections to Poles make him a logical candidate for the position. The truth is he isn’t that player anymore. His 2021 season in Indianapolis was rough, allowing 41 pressures and seven sacks over the course of 15 games. He is also 31-years old. It feels like his best days are behind him, and the price tag for his services won’t be worth the trouble.
Miscommunication over which side this run is going to. BJ Finney and Trai Turner pull and run into each other.
I am sad. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/CRfdU3gYOW
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) November 30, 2021
Trai Turner (OG)
Like Fisher, there was a good stretch of time where Turner was one of the best guards in the NFL. One doesn’t make five consecutive Pro Bowls by accident. Unfortunately, he seemed to suffer mounting injury problems during that time and they finally caught up to him in 2020 when he missed seven games. Turner hasn’t been right since then. He has allowed nine sacks on the quarterback between the past two seasons. The run blocking hasn’t been any better. This former great player is unlikely ever to regain his old form. It is best to let somebody else dig in that abandoned mine.
Taven Bryan (DT)
Teams always love to take calculated risks on former 1st round picks. The Chicago Bears are no different. There is always the possibility that the last team just didn’t use the player right. In a better environment, they might realize some of that potential. Bryan had the makings of a possible dynamite interior pass rusher when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him 29th overall in 2018. It didn’t work out. He has only 5.5 sacks in four seasons. Something always seems to be missing with him, and not even Matt Eberflus should consider the risk of finding out.
Jaylon Smith (LB)
He is easily one of the most incredible stories of the past five years. A devastating knee injury almost robbed him of his career. He overcame it and became a Pro Bowler in 2019. However, he was never the same after the Cowboys switched coordinators. That is why he was cut. Brief stints in Green Bay and New York didn’t go much better. He has ties to Eberflus. The two worked together in 2017. With the number of needs the Bears have at linebacker, this might be a phone call they’re tempted to make. Not only has Smith struggled to make consistent run stops, but he’s also a liability in coverage. QBs completed over 78% of their passes in his direction last season.
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