5 Reasons the Chicago Bears Shouldn’t Draft Reuben Foster
In terms of need, the Chicago Bears should have ILB pretty far down the list of priorities.
Even the biggest fan of the Bears’ MLB lineage must concede there are far more pressing needs on the team. Regardless if you go back decades and have a Dick Butkus signed football, a Mike Singletary pair of Lens Crafters, and a Brian Urlacher bobblehead, an inside linebacker would be a luxury the team can’t afford.
Jerrell Freeman performed great in his first year as a Chicago Bear. It’s hard to imagine he won’t be one of the starting ILBs on the team. Danny Trevathan, on the other hand, is on the books for over $8M the next two years. He’s guaranteed a starting spot unless his ACL tear keeps him out longer than anticipated.
After Freeman and Trevathan, 4th round steal Nick Kwiatkoski appears more than capable of being a solid starter. To that point, Kwiatkoski’s success in Vic Fangio’s defense demonstrates that great measurables or Combine performances are not required. The ILB in Fangio’s 3-4 needs to be the kind of guy who is known as a tackling machine.
Last but not least is Christian Jones. He’s shown enough during his time in Chicago that everyone knows he’s probably not going to be a successful starter, but he’s definitely talented enough to keep around as depth. Sam Acho’s recent re-signing is just one more reason Foster isn’t needed.