Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2018 19:28:05 GMT -6
Prince Amukamara and Sam Acho among Bears free agents to watch as window opens
As of Monday morning, the Bears had only 47 players under contract for 2018 and will take 90 to training camp in July.
Colleen KaneColleen KaneContact ReporterChicago Tribune
www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-free-agents-20180312-story.html
As Bears general manager Ryan Pace searches for upgrades in the free-agent market this week, several Bears players will look to secure their futures in Chicago or elsewhere. Here’s a look at the 2017 Bears who will be free agents.
*Tendered an offer or extended a contract by Bears.
Offense
Unrestricted free agents: QB Mark Sanchez, RB Benny Cunningham, OL Bradley Sowell*, OL Tom Compton, WR Dontrelle Inman, WR Kendall Wright, TE Zach Miller.
Restricted free agents: WR Cameron Meredith*, WR Josh Bellamy*, TE Daniel Brown.
Free agents after being cut by Bears: OL Josh Sitton, QB Mike Glennon (as of 3 p.m. Wednesday).
Rundown: The Bears are expected to make several additions at wide receiver, but they are trying to bring back at least a couple of the aforementioned receivers. They are expected to issue original-round tenders worth $1.9 million to Meredith, who is returning from a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, and Bellamy, a key special teams contributor. A fit for Wright or Inman remains up in the air.
Sanchez didn’t play a snap in the regular season as the third-string quarterback, but with Glennon gone as of Wednesday, he’s an option to back up Mitch Trubisky. The Bears might also seek a quarterback who has seen more time on the field than Sanchez’s six games over the last three seasons.
The Bears locked up Sowell, a 28-year-old swing tackle, with a two-year contract Monday. Miller is simply working to walk normally again after a catastrophic leg injury. The Bears could decline to tender an offer to Brown and bring him back for less money.
Defense
Unrestricted free agents: DL John Jenkins, DL Mitch Unrein, OLB Sam Acho, OLB Lamarr Houston, ILB Christian Jones, CB Prince Amukamara, CB Sherrick McManis.
Restricted free agents: ILB John Timu, CB Bryce Callahan*.
Free agents after being cut by Bears: OLB Pernell McPhee, OLB Willie Young, ILB Jerrell Freeman, S Quintin Demps.
Rundown: With holes to fill at cornerback and outside linebacker and depth needed, there’s a strong possibility the Bears could bring back several of these names.
Amukamara, 28, started 12 games in his first season with the Bears, totaling 48 tackles and seven passes defended but no interceptions. The Bears could seek to re-sign him to play alongside Kyle Fuller, on whom they placed the transition tag last week. McManis has been a reliable special teams contributor and might return. The Bears are expected to tender a right-of-first-refusal offer to Callahan, a nickel cornerback who played in 12 games in 2017.
Acho, 29, recorded 45 tackles and three sacks in his third season with the Bears and is a possibility to return for his eighth year in the NFL. Jones, who has played inside and outside linebacker, started 11 games and recorded 90 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. He could be another attractive option to provide depth. Timu might not be tendered an offer but could still sign with the team.
Special teams
Unrestricted free agents: K Mike Nugent, K Cairo Santos, P Pat O’Donnell, LS Andrew DePaola.
Exclusive-rights free agent: LS Patrick Scales.
Rundown: The specialists under new coordinator Chris Tabor are all up in the air. Nugent, who spent four games with the Bears in 2017, just turned 36. Santos appeared in only two games before reinjuring his groin and having surgery.
O’Donnell, the punter for the last four seasons, had a career-best gross average of 47 yards and a net average of 39.7. The Bears will not tender an offer to Scales, who is returning from a torn ACL. DePaola filled in all season with Scales out.
Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs and Rich Campbell contributed.
ckane@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @chitribkane
As of Monday morning, the Bears had only 47 players under contract for 2018 and will take 90 to training camp in July.
Colleen KaneColleen KaneContact ReporterChicago Tribune
www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-free-agents-20180312-story.html
As Bears general manager Ryan Pace searches for upgrades in the free-agent market this week, several Bears players will look to secure their futures in Chicago or elsewhere. Here’s a look at the 2017 Bears who will be free agents.
*Tendered an offer or extended a contract by Bears.
Offense
Unrestricted free agents: QB Mark Sanchez, RB Benny Cunningham, OL Bradley Sowell*, OL Tom Compton, WR Dontrelle Inman, WR Kendall Wright, TE Zach Miller.
Restricted free agents: WR Cameron Meredith*, WR Josh Bellamy*, TE Daniel Brown.
Free agents after being cut by Bears: OL Josh Sitton, QB Mike Glennon (as of 3 p.m. Wednesday).
Rundown: The Bears are expected to make several additions at wide receiver, but they are trying to bring back at least a couple of the aforementioned receivers. They are expected to issue original-round tenders worth $1.9 million to Meredith, who is returning from a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, and Bellamy, a key special teams contributor. A fit for Wright or Inman remains up in the air.
Sanchez didn’t play a snap in the regular season as the third-string quarterback, but with Glennon gone as of Wednesday, he’s an option to back up Mitch Trubisky. The Bears might also seek a quarterback who has seen more time on the field than Sanchez’s six games over the last three seasons.
The Bears locked up Sowell, a 28-year-old swing tackle, with a two-year contract Monday. Miller is simply working to walk normally again after a catastrophic leg injury. The Bears could decline to tender an offer to Brown and bring him back for less money.
Defense
Unrestricted free agents: DL John Jenkins, DL Mitch Unrein, OLB Sam Acho, OLB Lamarr Houston, ILB Christian Jones, CB Prince Amukamara, CB Sherrick McManis.
Restricted free agents: ILB John Timu, CB Bryce Callahan*.
Free agents after being cut by Bears: OLB Pernell McPhee, OLB Willie Young, ILB Jerrell Freeman, S Quintin Demps.
Rundown: With holes to fill at cornerback and outside linebacker and depth needed, there’s a strong possibility the Bears could bring back several of these names.
Amukamara, 28, started 12 games in his first season with the Bears, totaling 48 tackles and seven passes defended but no interceptions. The Bears could seek to re-sign him to play alongside Kyle Fuller, on whom they placed the transition tag last week. McManis has been a reliable special teams contributor and might return. The Bears are expected to tender a right-of-first-refusal offer to Callahan, a nickel cornerback who played in 12 games in 2017.
Acho, 29, recorded 45 tackles and three sacks in his third season with the Bears and is a possibility to return for his eighth year in the NFL. Jones, who has played inside and outside linebacker, started 11 games and recorded 90 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. He could be another attractive option to provide depth. Timu might not be tendered an offer but could still sign with the team.
Special teams
Unrestricted free agents: K Mike Nugent, K Cairo Santos, P Pat O’Donnell, LS Andrew DePaola.
Exclusive-rights free agent: LS Patrick Scales.
Rundown: The specialists under new coordinator Chris Tabor are all up in the air. Nugent, who spent four games with the Bears in 2017, just turned 36. Santos appeared in only two games before reinjuring his groin and having surgery.
O’Donnell, the punter for the last four seasons, had a career-best gross average of 47 yards and a net average of 39.7. The Bears will not tender an offer to Scales, who is returning from a torn ACL. DePaola filled in all season with Scales out.
Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs and Rich Campbell contributed.
ckane@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @chitribkane