The Chicago Bears have had quite the 2018 offseason. On paper, it might be one of the most productive of the Ryan Pace era. Look across the roster and one is likely to see upgrades almost everywhere from quarterback to wide receiver, offensive line, tight end and inside linebacker. They also maintained good strength at running back, defensive line, cornerback, and safety.
Truth be told their most puzzling decisions thus far have centered around just one position. That’s edge rusher. It started before free agency when they conducted a mass purge of older veterans. Pernell McPhee and Willie Young were both cuts while Lamarr Houston was allowed to depart as a free agent. Suddenly Leonard Floyd was the only one on the roster with credible talent and experience.
The Bears quickly added Aaron Lynch as a free agent and brought back Sam Acho as well. Yet that didn’t assuage fears around the position. Hopes were high they’d attack the issue early in the draft. The first two days came and went. Nothing. Not until the sixth round did they finally address the problem. It was becoming clear the Bears were going to lean heavily on youth at that position.
Crazy as it sounds, their odd moves haven’t stopped.
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Howard Jones release adds more confusion to Chicago Bears edge position
Nobody will say Howard Jones was going to factor in as a starter for the Bears. That said he at least brought some experience and depth to a position sorely lacking both. Amazingly it seems that didn’t matter much to team brass. With the conclusion of the rookie minicamps, the team saw fit to sign five tryout players to the roster. At the same time, they also waived four players including Jones who had a sack in four appearances last year.
Among Monday’s Bears cuts to make room for five adds from rookie camp include OLB Howard Jones and OL Cameron Lee – both played late last season, and Crete/Notre Dame product and UDFA Nyles Morgan. pic.twitter.com/inznywqRAk
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) May 14, 2018
Cutting Jones didn’t make much sense considering they still have a number of roster slots still open. What makes it harder to understand is the current outlook for the position. There wasn’t much recent game experience to start with. Now there’s even less. Here’s a list of the players currently signed at the position and how many games they played in 2017.
- Leonard Floyd (10)
- Sam Acho (16)
- Aaron Lynch (7)
- Isaiah Irving (7)
- Kylie Fitts (0)
- Andrew Trumbetti (0)
- Elijah Norris (0)
That’s three rookies including two undrafted players at the bottom. Isaiah Irving is in his second year. Lynch has 2.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Acho is in his 30s. Basically, it’s one good, ascending player in Floyd followed by a mix of unknowns. Given how strong the quarterback crop is in the NFC North alone, the Bears’ continued maneuvers in the pass rush department are beyond puzzling.
Not to mention dangerous.
