The Chicago Bears know they can’t rest on what they’ve done so far this offseason. While moves were made to improve the offense like Jimmy Graham and Nick Foles, there is still lots of work left to do. A big issue that remains unresolved is the offensive line. They have a gaping hole at right guard with the departure of Kyle Long. Right now they’re looking at one of three guys to fill it in Rashaad Coward, Alex Bars, or Germain Ifedi.
None of those names inspire much confidence that things will be better.
So is it possible the Bears might still have one big move left despite their salary cap issues? One man probably hopes so. The NFL has waited to see what fate awaits Kelechi Osemele. The former All-Pro guard for the Oakland Raiders had a very ugly breakup with the New York Jets after they traded for him last season. It centered around his desire to have surgery on a shoulder injury he’d suffered in October.
The Jets refused and began to fine him for missing practices. Things got so bad that the team finally released the 30-year old after less than half a season. Now he’s looking for a new home. Based on a recent string of tweets, he has his eye on the Bears.
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Osemele is everything the Chicago Bears want and need
The tagging of his agent was certainly the most interesting part of that exchange. Remember that Osemele and Cordarrelle Patterson were teammates back in 2017. So there’s familiarity between the two. Not to mention Khalil Mack. This offense has a glaring need for more power and nasty in their blocking after last season. Osemele is notorious for bringing both with him on every snap. If that shoulder is fully recovered, he should be able to regain his old form despite turning 31 in June.
For the Bears, they have two hurdles to clear. How much money is he asking for and what is the status of that shoulder? Right now they are low on salary cap space after their moves to open free agency. They also can’t conduct normal physicals because of the Coronavirus epidemic. This is why Osemele remains unsigned. Teams can’t be certain he’s healthy. Thus he continues to wait.
If he’s willing to be patient and can work out a team-friendly deal, then this is absolutely a move the Bears need to make.
