Chicago Bears – Remaining Free Agents (Offensive Skill Players)

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The first week of the 2015 NFL season is over and it has been pretty crazy with record setting free agency deals, more Pro Bowl players traded than I’ve ever seen before in an offseason, and most of the top free agents already off the board.

The Bears have made a few moves, though way less than most teams with $30 million plus in cap room like the Bears. New Bears GM Ryan Pace is taking a cautous, measured approach to free agency so far. In the short-term the Bears are missing out on the best players in free agency, but over the next few months when veteran players with high cap numbers are getting cut, the Bears will have more money than just about any team in the league to snatch up experienced vets who were recently good enough to deserve big contracts.

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The Bears haven’t been completely silent during free agency with three quality signings in OLB Pernell McPhee, S Antrel Rolle, and WR Eddie Royal, a couple of minor ones (G Ducasse, LS Gafford), and rumors that they are in the mix for a couple more players (Foster, Satele). Click the individual player links for a detailed breakdown, but this post is focused on remaining free agents who the Bears could be targeting.

All of the contract specifics have yet to be released so we don’t know exactly how much cap space the Bears have left, but Bears cap guru Cliff Stein is a wizard so I am predicting that the money will be there if there is mutual interest between the Bears and their target players.

I will be breaking down free agents options by position that I think would be good fits for the Bears in 2015 and beyond. Obviously they can’t sign all of these players, but the Bears should have enough cap room to potentially sign a few more players as contract demands drop significantly over the next few weeks.

Best Remaining: D-Line | O-Line | Skill Players | Defensive Backs | Linebackers

Free Agent Offensive Skill Players

Running Back

Pierre Thomas, Saints (30 | 5.9 | 207) – Bears GM Ryan Pace is familiar with Thomas from his time with Saints and knows his skills as a receiver out of the backfield and as an underrated between the tackles back. I’ve always been a huge Thomas fan and he’s the type of backup who could step in for Forte without the Bears missing too much. With RBs being undervalued across the league, Thomas would be a cheap back-up RB.

Chris Polk, Eagles (24 | 5’10 | 222) – A restricted free agent, but with the Eagles already spending more money on the running back position (DeMarco Murray and Ryan Matthews) than any team in the league, there is little to no chance they match an offer on Polk. The Eagles also have diminutive Darrin Sproles on the roster as well. There is no room for Polk who is a well-rounded back with the size (5’11, 222) to excel between the tackles, but also the speed (4.57) to break runs outside. Polk never got much of a chance to show what he can do with the Eagles behind LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles, so is still somewhat of an unknown. I was very high on Polk coming out of Washington in 2012 and still think he has the ability to be a workhorse in the NFL. The Bears have a back in Forte who isn’t a great short yardage back and backup Ka’Deem Carey is even smaller and less effective inside. Polk could give the Bears a power short yardage back with break-away speed. New HC John Fox loves power football and Polk could be a feature back in Chicago as soon as 2016 if Forte leaves as a free agent or if they trade him.

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Stevan Ridley, Patriot (26 | 5’11 | 225) – As I mentioned in the Polk section, the Bears struggle in short yardage and don’t have a legit between the tackles power back. That is where Ridley excels and he was never given a real chance in NE to be a feature back due to Bill Belichick’s RB shenanigans. Signing Ridley now will give the Bears a big back for Fox’s power scheme and a safety valve if Matt Forte leaves in free agency next year (or gets traded).

Knowshon Moreno, Dolphins (28 | 5’11 | 210) – Bears HC John Fox is familar with Moreno from his time in Denver when he had a 1,038 yard, 10 TD, 4.3 YPC season in 2013. Matt Forte is a top 5 RB in the league, but will be 29 this year and the Bears only have untested 2nd-year Ka’Deem Carey as a backup. Moreno had an injury-plagued 2014 season in Miami so his price should be negligible. It would be a low-risk, high-upside signing for the Bears.