The Chicago Bears seemingly checked every box they had to this offseason. They found competition at quarterback, added speed at wide receiver, overhauled tight end, upgraded their pass rush, and found two replacements for their losses in the secondary. Fans are satisfied with most of the work GM Ryan Pace has done. That is with one exception though. They are not sold on what the Bears have done with their offensive line. Kyle Long retired. That leaves Rashaad Coward, Alex Bars, and recent addition Germain Ifedi as their best replacement options. Not ideal given the line’s performance last season. This is why excitement picked up when Larry Warford became available.
The three-time Pro Bowl right guard was released by the New Orleans Saints on Friday due to cap issues. Set to turn 29, he still sits in his physical prime. Word quickly emerged via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune that the Bears were interested. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has since poured cold water on that idea.
“The Saints have dropped guard Larry Warford onto the open market. The Bears have dropped their pursuit of him.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bears are not pursuing the three-time Pro Bowler.
It’s unclear whether the Bears were ever officially in on the chase for Warford. They reportedly were considering it. Regardless, they currently are not.”
While disappointing, there is a silver lining. This entire development shows that the Bears might not be satisfied with their current depth chart on the offensive line. This means they are still looking for help. If another opportunity comes, they might seize it.
Larry Warford might not be the last chance the Bears get
Right now the Houston Texans are the only other team that has been connected to Warford. If that were to happen, then most believe the current right guard Zach Fulton would be released to free the necessary cap space. This is significant for the Bears because Fulton played four seasons in Kansas City including 2017 when Matt Nagy was the offensive coordinator. He’s familiar with that type of offense and would be a logical addition. While many believe Warford is an obvious upgrade over him, some around the Texans think Fulton is underappreciated.
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If nothing else, he’s a guy with 74 games of starting experience along the interior. Something Ifedi, Coward, and Bars can’t boast. There’s also former Pro Bowler Gabe Jackson who was connected to trade rumors with the Raiders last month. Brian Winters has been a steady guard for the Jets since 2013 but could be on his way out after the team added lots of new faces to their line room. Last but not least is Kelechi Osemele, who remains available after leaving the Jets over a controversy surrounding his decision to get shoulder surgery.
This situation is far from over.
