Could the Bears use a Linebacker to Trade Up?
As I just pointed out last night in my Fearless Prediction, Jerry Angelo will get an itch. Brad Biggs suggests how he may attempt to scratch it – that the Bears could trade out of a position of strength to try to move up in the draft. Unlike many reports about trading Greg Olsen, this speculation is around the other side of the ball.
"There is a feeling in the locker room that the Bears could consider trading one of their linebackers to recoup a draft pick. What a veteran linebacker would bring in return isn’t clear right now. The Bears have seven veteran linebackers and that could be one or two too many after Pisa Tinoisamoa re-signed to compete for the starting job on the strong side."
Biggs goes on to refresh everyone’s memory why that might not be the best idea, especially with an aging group that has been mired with injuries:
"Yes, the Bears started last season with six veteran linebackers and it proved to be a good thing when Brian Urlacher and Tinoisamoa combined to miss a total of 29 games."
So who is likely to go? How about Jamar Williams, who despite strong game when he filled in for Lance Briggs last season, is listed as the 6th linebacker on the Bears’ depth chart. He’s a nice player to have, but not at the price tag attached to his tender:
"He signed his tender worth $1.176 million earlier this week and one source said that move could have been made in anticipation of a trade. That’s a lot of money for a team to pay its sixth linebacker. Williams, a fourth-round pick in 2006, has three career starts and he excelled when given a chance last season. He’s also been one of the core players on special teams. But at some point the Bears need to get younger at linebacker, and Williams is set to make virtually double what he was paid last season."
I only hope that Jerry Angelo has enough time between now and when he pulls the trigger on a potential move to read this post and realize it’s a dumb idea. Urlacher is getting old and coming off an injury, Pisa has yet to prove that he can stay healthy, Hillenmeyer is serviceable and getting older. What does that leave you with? Lance Briggs and Nick Roach. Have fun with that.
Besides, what could you get for Williams? A 6th or 7th round pick? Unless you’re putting a package together to get one of the top remaining safeties, I say stand pat and keep a position of strength strong.