In the second wave of free agency, the Chicago Bears have found a few guys with something to prove. This week the Bears added defensive ends Jarvis Jenkins and Ray McDonald along with linebacker Mason Foster. All were signed to one year, “prove it” deals, just the way GM Ryan Pace likes it:
"“I like guys motivated coming in on kind of prove-it contracts,” general manager Ryan Pace said. “I can say that. I think that’s good.”"
Jarvis Jenkins has had something to prove since he was drafted in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins out of Clemson. He was hoping his phone was going to ring in the opening days of free agency, but when it didn’t he had to adjust his expectations:
"“You can’t really be hard on yourself for where you land or how late you get picked,” Jenkins said in a telephone interview. “I know my ability and I know what I can do. It was kind of bad that I didn’t because I expected to get picked up earlier. Like I told my parents, maybe this is where I needed to be all along. The Bears really didn’t come at me early in free agency. My Dad always tells me I end up places for a reason. The way these guys are building this defense, I think I am here for a reason."
Jenkins and fellow newcomer Mason Foster have something in common – a chip on their shoulder, coming to the Bears on a contract year with something to prove.
Foster joins the Bears after spending his first four seasons in Tampa Bay, who drafted Foster out of Washington in the 3rd round of the same 2011 draft as Jenkins. Foster steadily improved in Tampa Bay’s defense until a new scheme and a shoulder injury derailed his progress.
Like Jenkins, Foster had higher hopes to start free agency, but when a big deal didn’t roll in, he sought to find the best fit and he thought that would be with the Bears:
"“This is the best situation,” Foster said Thursday morning. “I’m just excited about having an opportunity to play for a great team with a lot of history. This is a great opportunity to really hit the reset button and start over.”"
Foster will play one of the middle linebacker spots in Vic Fangio’s 3-4 defense, where he’ll get to attack rather than retreat to cover the deep middle of the field, like he was asked to do for Lovie Smith’s C0ver-2 defense.
In both of these signings, the Bears have found a couple of young, hungry defenders, eager to prove themselves and hit a big payday before they get to their 30th birthdays. The second contract is where players, especially guys drafted outside the first round, hope to strike a big payday. Mason Foster summed up his approach to the upcoming season:
"“You just use that as motivation for yourself,” Foster said. “People are always going to doubt you. That chip on my shoulder is as big as ever. It’s always been big, being from a small town (Seaside, Calif.), and I didn’t get recruited highly out of high school. I always felt like I had something to prove. But now it’s even more evident. Just for me personally, I know what I have to do to show people the player that I am.”"
In signing defensive end Ray McDonald, the Bears are taking the risk. It’s not a financial risk, it’s a risk to the franchise’s reputation. McDonald has had a string of off the field issues that led the San Francisco 49ers to cut him late last season. McDonald will have to prove he can stay out of trouble to get his career and his life back on track.
Next: Ryan Pace Taking Big Risk on Ray McDonald
What do you think of the signings? Did the Bears hit it big in the free agency bargain bin and find guys who can turn around the Chicago Bears defense?