Chicago Bears Week 9 Free Agent Stock Watch
By Tooch
FALLING
Major Wright
Yikes. There’s bad and then there’s Major Wright bad. Wright’s blown assignment on Eddie Lacy’s 56-yard touchdown run is reason enough to bench this guy. The Bears defense is struggling as a unit right now, but the secondary — which also includes Chris Conte, who is unfortunately under contract for one more season — has been exceptionally bad lately. Wright brings no value to the team right now and continues to look lost in coverage and special assignments. There is no question that he needs to be let go after the season.
Roberto Garza
The Bears fan in me obviously roots for Garza. He’s been a life-long Bear and made an incredibly rare, mid-career position change to help out the team. But Garza showed on Monday night that he is the weak link in an otherwise solid offensive line. I admit this is a picky assessment of Garza given that he faced off against B.J. Raji, but Garza still needs to hold his own and maintain the middle of the offensive line. Regardless, I still believe he will remain a Bear heading into next season and beyond.
Blake Costanzo
Costanzo is supposed to be a special teams ace, but he certainly didn’t play like one on Monday night. The Bears’ special teams unit has been uncharacteristically subpar this year and had two of its biggest blunders take place against the Packers — a blocked punt and failing to recover an onside kick, which squeaked right through Costanzo’s arms. The linebacker’s $715,000 base salary may be difficult for the Bears to pick up this offseason, especially if D.J. Williams and/or James Anderson return to the team. If either of those signings take place, the Bears will be better suited to utilize Jon Bostic and Khaseem Greene on special teams and as backup linebackers.