The Chicago Bears roster situation isn’t nearly as bad as its been the past three years. GM Ryan Pace finally has them on a stable footing with a strong core of young players. That said he’s still got lots of work to do. Preliminary evaluations would suggest that wide receiver headlines their list of biggest needs. However, when evaluating the talent likely to be available? That shifts drastically to another position.
Finding decent wide receivers shouldn’t be hard for the Bears in 2018. Both the free agent and draft avenues should offer quality talent. The far bigger problem is at the edge rusher position. Outside of Leonard Floyd, who is coming off a torn ACL, the Bears have no proven talent at that position. Pernell McPhee and Willie Young were both cuts. Lamarr Houston is a free agent.
What’s worse is the free agent market looks barren on that front and the draft isn’t much better. This means the Bears might have to get creative, meaning the trade front. Problem is teams aren’t prone to giving away productive pass rushers. So any deal would likely come with a degree of risk and faith. Is there one name out there who might fit the bill?
Chicago Bears roster may benefit from giving Nate Orchard a fresh start
It’s hard to say where things went wrong with Nate Orchard. Then again there are a ton of players who can say that after spending their early careers in Cleveland. The fact is the former second round pick hasn’t been able to get his career off the ground. He delivered a whopping 18.5 sacks for Utah in his final college season. Yet in the three years since joining the NFL? He only has five.
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Now he could be on the chopping block. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract and buried on the Browns depth chart behind other players. Not only that but he is playing a position at defensive end many don’t think he fits well. Projections hinted he was a better fit for a 3-4 outside linebacker. Other notable Browns picks were already shipped out like DeShone Kizer and Danny Shelton. Orchard could be next and likely be had dirt cheap too.
Rest assured this move should not be considered THE solution to the Bears’ problem. More like part of a solution. Orchard would be a young depth piece who still has room to grow. He’s only 25-years old. Perhaps playing under Vic Fangio, who’s no stranger to reclamation projects, could reignite the force he was during his final year at Utah.
If it doesn’t work out the Bears don’t lose much in terms of draft capital. If it does? They score a young pass rusher who can help them for years to come. It’s a calculated risk at a favorable cost. The sort of thing that would appeal to Pace.