Chicago Bears Lose Linebacker Christian Jones to Detroit Lions
It looks like the Chicago Bears will lose linebacker Christian Jones to the division rival Detroit Lions.
It hasn’t been all good news for the Chicago Bears as the “legal tampering” period has hit full swing on Day 2 ahead of the start of Free Agency. For all of the additions the Bears have made, it appears that linebacker Christian Jones will be headed out of town, going to the division rival Detroit Lions on a two-year contract worth $7.75 million.
The #Lions signed former #Bears LB Christian Jones to a 2-year deal worth $7.75M, source said. He gets $2.8M signing bonus.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
It was quiet on Day 1, but before most of us woke up this morning the Bear had inked top wide receiver Allen Robinson to a three-year contract. They also added former Philadelphia Eagles tight end Trey Burton and kicker Cody Parkey from the Miami Dolphins as the action around the league heated up. That’s a lot of firepower for Mitch Trubisky and the Bears to put some point on the board.
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But the defense and special teams take a step back losing Jones, who has been a steady contributor for the last few seasons. Jones played in nearly 60% of defensive snaps in 2017 while also taking over 55% of the Bears special teams snaps. With the departure of fellow inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman, a lot of fans expected Jones might be a candidate to step into a more prominent role.
Now, the Bears are left with Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkowski to hold down the middle. Could the Bears look to free agency or the draft to fill in some linebacker depth? Tremaine Edmunds anyone?
With Jones’ departure, there are only a handful of players left from the Phil Emery era:
With Christian Jones gone, here are the remaining Bears who played in Chicago during the Phil Emery era (* - free agent)
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) March 13, 2018
Kyle Long
Charles Leno
Kyle Fuller
Josh Bellamy
Sherrick McManis*
Pat O’Donnell*
General Manager Ryan Pace certainly has reshaped the team and turned over the roster in just his fourth season. Whether or not it pans out, it remains to be seen.
Jones earned the nickname “Cheese” for always smiling. I’m sure he’s all smiles today after hitting a big payday as a former undrafted free agent out of Florida State. Let’s hope he’s not smiling when the Bears face the Lions next season.