Adrian Amos has said that he’d prefer to stay in Chicago, but he’s also a realist. He knows that this is a business decision for both him and the Bears. He intends to keep his options open if negotiations don’t go the way he hopes. That’s a fancy way of saying if they don’t reach his desired price range, he has no qualms about leaving for somewhere else.
GM Ryan Pace is also a pragmatist. He knows he can’t pay everybody. Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks got their new deals, as did Kyle Fuller. Eddie Goldman is locked up too. There’s only so much money to go around and Eddie Jackson‘s deal will become a factor in the near future as well. Sacrificing Amos may but an unfortunate side effect of having such a talented defense.
The problem, of course, is how do they fill that strong safety spot if Amos leaves? Pace could try to find somebody in the draft, but that could prove difficult with no 1st or 2nd round picks. Free agency might be a better bet. The market is richer than usual with quality names like Landon Collins, Tyrann Mathieu, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix among others set to become available.
Chicago though may not have the money to afford them. So is there is a cheap alternative that might satiate the Bears’ appetite? Indeed there is, and he’s a local kid too.
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Jimmie Ward might be an underrated Adrian Amos replacement for Bears
The name Jimmie Ward hasn’t been something on the minds of Chicago fans for a long time. Not since the 2014 NFL draft when the young defensive back from Northern Illinois came out of nowhere to become the 1st round pick of the San Francisco 49ers. It’s not surprising. He had seven interceptions his final year of college and tested through the roof leading up to the draft. He had so much potential.
Sadly things never quite materialized. Not that it was his fault. Ward was beset by a ridiculous string of changes while in San Francisco. From his rookie year in 2014 to 2018 he had five different defensive coordinators. That’s not a joke. In five professional football seasons, Ward had five different coaches with five different philosophies. How does one expect a player to thrive in those conditions?
"CBS Sports talks Jimmie Ward's future, 49ers free agent options – 247Sports" via https://t.co/F8c1asgDRe #49ers #49ersInvasion
— James Clark (@jwclark2342) February 19, 2019
It also didn’t help that Ward was constantly moved around, not allowed to settle into one position. He started out as a safety, then moved to cornerback, then back to safety, and then back to cornerback again. It’s little wonder he lacked consistency. However, there were always flashes of his talent. Ward is known best for his strong tackling and solid run defense.
Both were key parts of what made Amos so effective in Chicago. So why will he be cheap? Ward has suffered a season-ending injury three years in a row. He broke his clavicle in 2016 and then broke his forearm in both 2017 and 2018. There are health concerns, naturally. That said the Bears can easily secure him on a one-year deal and see how he does on an established defense under a defensive back specialist like Chuck Pagano.
