Chicago Bears End of season evaluation: Bradley Sowell

How did Bradley Sowell 2017 play out compared to expectations for the Chicago Bears?

With the Chicago Bears season now over, it is a good chance to see who met or exceeded or failed to meet expectations this season. For this edition, we take a look at Bradley Sowell.

Preseason Expectations:

Sowell was brought in late into the offseason, mainly because of the lack of depth that the team had at tackle. Coming from the Seattle Seahawks, it is safe to say that the expectations involving what exactly he could bring were rather low. Even though Charles Leno and Bobby Massie are not fan-favorites, fans did want to see those two healthy on the field instead of Sowell.

2017 Review:

Sowell saw the field more than anticipated. Even worse? Most of it was at his secondary position of guard. Most of it was due to Kyle Long injuries, some had to do with Josh Sitton, but Sowell was on the field for 297 offensive snaps in 2017. That includes four games in which he played well over half of the team’s offensive snaps and two games to close the season that featured full games with full workloads. Given that he was not a strong bet as it was, and was playing a new position, it can be argued that he still exceeded expectations. Still, one thing this team learned is that if they are relying on Bradley Sowell, they are in big trouble.

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Offseason outlook

Sowell signed just a one-year deal this offseason. While he was not great, he did prove more reliable than William Poehls or Tom Compton. If any of those three should get a shot to make the bottom of the roster, it should be Sowell. That said, with Jordan Morgan and Eric Kush back, guard should not be an area where he will see the field. If the Bears can draft or sign a tackle, there is a good chance that Sowell will be very expendable in August.