Is John Brown a high upside bet worth taking for the Chicago Bears or is there too much risk?
With free agency looming soon there a variety of options for the Chicago Bears to look at. Not everybody is going to get the big name and find, and teams are going to have to get savvy about their spending after the initial rush. John Brown, wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals is a free agent this offseason. Coming off of a rookie salary deal, is he a player that could be a bargain for the Chicago Bears?
Sign
John Brown is a better version of what they were trying to add with Markus Wheaton. Cameron Meredith is a possession player, so is Kendall Wright. The Chicago Bears need somebody to be a deep threat so that the short passing can open up for the players they already have on the roster. John Brown does that. For his career, Brown is averaging 14.5 yards per catch. He is just 27, has game-breaking speed and will come on a much cheaper than market scale. Heck, you might just be able to rehash the Markus Wheaton deal over again. Even with Wheaton on the books, the Chicago Bears would have cap space. Swapping Wheaton for Brown would still give the Bears other avenues to spend.
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Pass
Brown, like Wheaton, is not going to do anything effectively if he is riding the bench. Brown has missed eight games in his career, and only has 27 stars. He has the sickle cell trait and is virtually unable to practice during the week. Every single week he will show up as questionable. Injuries take longer to recover from. Add in that Brown is only 180 pounds, and the risk of injury and taking long terms chances on John Brown becomes a very risky proposition. Any deal will be short in length and even shorter in guarantees. A team with major injury questions as it is cannot bring on an injured player, and the team should look for other speedsters.