The Chicago Bears at the moment are down a free company choice after proper guard Trey Smith was franchise-tagged by the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. The Chiefs now give themself some extra time to barter a long-term cope with Smith whereas additionally holding him from testing the open market.
Smith earned his first Professional Bowl choice in 2024 and tied the NFL lead in essentially the most pass-blocking snaps with out permitting a sack this season. The Chiefs have made it well-known that they’re all about defending Mahomes, and that implies that they’re going to be holding their line intact.
That is dangerous information for the Bears, who’re one of many groups searching for assistance on their offensive line, and Smith was presumably going to be one in every of their prime choices. There are nonetheless just a few gamers that the Bears may take a look at and could be strong so as to add to their line to assist defend Caleb Williams.
Who may the Bears goal in free company to enhance their OL?
Associated Chicago Bears InformationArticle continues under
The Bears are coming into the season with a brand new teaching workers and new vitality, and the very first thing they need to need to do is assist Caleb Williams. With Ben Johnson being an offensive-minded coach, it makes excellent sense why they could go that route, and fixing the offensive line could possibly be step one. One participant that the Bears may signal is true guard Will Fries, who performed for the Indianapolis Colts and is a free agent.
Fries’ season ended on fast discover after he suffered a tibia harm in Week 5 in opposition to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Earlier than the harm, he ranked fourth in run-blocking and tenth in pass-blocking, in accordance with PFF. These are good rankings for Fries, and the Bears ought to be concerned about any person like that who can do it within the run and go sport. There is a good likelihood that different groups might be seeking to signal Fries, so the Bears might must get right into a bidding conflict. In the event that they suppose he is the man who can change their line, they need to be attempting to throw a bag at him.
An alternative choice that the Bears may look into is Kevin Zeitler from the Detroit Lions. This could possibly be a reunion for Johnson and Zeitler, and he’d know what to do as quickly as he joins the workforce as a result of his familiarity with the system. The Bears may find yourself giving Zeitler a very good provide as a free agent, and it would not be a shock if he left the Lions.