Is the Chicago Bears roster where it needs to be for the upcoming 2020 season? That depends on who you ask. Some feel its combination of a strong defense and retooled offense has a chance to regain much of the form it showed in 2018. Others think a number of holes still remain that won’t be easy to overcome. Answers won’t be easily forthcoming either.
Already both minicamps and OTAs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the NFLPA is pushing for the preseason to receive the same treatment. That means only training camp will be used by teams to get players ready for action this year. A training camp that fans will not be allowed to attend. So answers won’t start arriving until opening day in Detroit.
This is why many continue to urge the team to keep tweaking the roster in areas of concern. A primary one is the offensive line. Here longtime insider Hub Arkush believes they still need help. Particularly at tackle.
He even has a name in mind that they should grab.
“Should either go down, the Bears’ current options are Packers castoff Jason Spriggs, who is a former second-round pick, eight spots ahead of Cody Whitehair in the 2016 draft. They could move Rashaad Coward back to tackle but only on the right side, or free agent Germain Ifedi is an option there, but he wasn’t good enough at the position to stick with a Seattle team with O-line worries of its own…
…Yes, Jason Peters is still on the street and he is 38 years old, but he is also a future Hall of Famer, has significant experience with new offensive line coach Juan Castillo and even nearing social security is an instant upgrade over Leno, as would be 31-year-old veteran Cordy Glenn and possibly even Kelvin Beachum.
If the Bears are really going for it this year, it’s hard to see why they wouldn’t take a flyer on Peters.”
Chicago Bears would have to accept Leno is a liability first
It’s an interesting idea. In name value alone, Peters is many notches above Leno. He’ll be in Canton 5-6 years after he retires. Despite being 38-years old, he was still effective when healthy last season. He also has a prior relationship with both Matt Nagy and Juan Castillo. Both were with the Philadelphia Eagles when he arrived via trade way back in 2009. That familiarity always means something in these situations.
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To make a move on him though? For that to happen, the Bears would have to make a determination that Leno is not what they need at left tackle. Castillo can’t make such a determination yet because he hasn’t seen any of his blockers in live practice. That will start July 28th. Maybe the coach will get a clearer view of the picture by that time.
The good news is Peters is a seasoned veteran. He wouldn’t need too much time to re-acclimate. So if the Bears want to make a move for him, they can trust he won’t be caught unprepared.