The Chicago Bears know they have to improve their offensive line this off-season before starting the process of helping Caleb Williams improve. One of the big hopes for many was Pro Bowl right guard Trey Smith being available when free agency arrived next month. He would’ve been an immediate upgrade for them. Sadly, it appears the market won’t cooperate. According to several insiders, the Kansas City Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on Smith, ensuring he will be under contract for the 2025 season.
This move isn’t overly surprising. Kansas City’s offensive line was completely wrecked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. Watching that happen and then letting one of your best blockers go in free agency doesn’t seem like the responsible thing to do. Most believe the Chiefs hope to hammer out a long-term extension with him. As for the Bears, their plans will shift to other possible names on the market.
The Chicago Bears still have some interesting names to consider.
One can start with Kevin Zeitler. The longtime veteran was excellent in Detroit under Ben Johnson over the past couple of years. Bringing him in on a short-term deal would make sense. Evan Brown just had a great season in Arizona as their left guard. He also played under Johnson in Detroit. Mekhi Becton just won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia after switching from tackle. Probably the biggest wild card is Will Fries. The Indianapolis Colts guard was off to the best start of his career in 2024 before an injury ended his season. He is only 27 years old. The Chicago Bears may seem him as a risk-reward option.
Smith coming off the market likely means their focus will shift more towards the draft to solve the offensive line issues. Experts believe this is a good year for interior blockers. The Bears can probably find a couple of starters between the 1st and 3rd rounds. GM Ryan Poles seems confident in his ability to do so. He better be.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
I would have signed him, as I will take an overpriced good-to-great guard as bad as our OL has been. So would KC, apparently, albeit to a 1-year deal(for now). They have to spend their money at some point, and teams figure out the cap pretty easily nowadays.
That being said, I am not heartbroken over it.
I was hoping they’d tag him … over priced in a mediocre market
Good news…! No way this guy is worth $22 Million a year, we all saw what happened in the Superbowl.
Now that we’ve dodged that bullet, let the real work on acquiring 3 starters for the O-Line begin.
Erik, careful now. I just used the risk-reward notion in the last article before your use here. Worse though, you accidently used the word “seem” instead of “see.” I just alert you because the dumb Hyenas here took me to task which they thought was my mistake, when in reality I did and do it purposefully to draw them out, which I had declared two months ago. Still, they cannot help themselves. They are so predictable and so wrong on most Bears’ matters. No wonder Trump won. They are so easily fooled.
I just wonder if this is a sign and trade deal where KC puts the tag on him, gets him to agree on a deal, AND be traded to the Bears. I hope that is not the case