Last year Bears GM Ryan Pace took advantage of a stroke of good fortune when the Green Bay Packer released Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton. Chicago was his first visit and they made sure he never got out of the building. That coincidence of timing allowed them to forge one of the two or three best interior offensive line trios in the NFL along with Kyle Long and Cody Whitehair.
The moral of the story? Always be prepared for the possibility that team might make a surprise cut at a position that could really help your roster. It seems that could be happening again. Adam Schefter recently broke the news that the Kansas City Chiefs were cutting defensive end Jaye Howard in order to save over $2 million in guarantees they would’ve had to pay otherwise.
Chiefs have released Jaye Howard, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 22, 2017
Chicago has serious depth questions along their defensive line, not to mention a noticeable hole at the end spot opposite Akiem Hicks. Howard was a free agent target for the Bears last year before he chose to return to Kansas City. In 2015 he had 57 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Unfortunately he missed eight games in 2016 with injury and regressed.
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A Bears Jaye Howard reunion could help both parties
It’s important to remember that Howard is 28-years old. He doesn’t turn 29 until late December. Presuming good health he should have three or four solid seasons left in him. If the Bears could get him back near the level he was two years ago, that would be a tremendous boost for an already pretty good front seven. Howard showed on several occasions that he could be a dynamic presence up front.
Scouting @Chiefs DL Jaye Howard for @TheScoutAcademy & came across this gem! Nasty spin & Fitz slam at the end. Wowza! pic.twitter.com/X1PbPMeSKU
— Sean Nazar (@nflcoastie) February 12, 2017
Odds are he won’t cost near what he would’ve last season. Thus Pace would be getting a player who is still relatively young and at a much more affordable price. They run a 3-4 scheme just like Kansas City does too. Everything lines up for this to happen. To top it off, it would add even more flexibility for Chicago going into the draft that is right around the corner. There really isn’t a downside to consider. Save maybe for the small competition they may encounter for his services.
