Would guard Jamon Brown be a good fit to sign with the Chicago Bears?
As the Chicago Bears enter free agency they do not have many needs, but do not have much salary cap to spend either. They may restructure a deal with Kyle Long to save some money, but even if they bring Long back, it is fair to say that right guard is one of the biggest needs on the roster.
Jamon Brown is a lower level free agent who is entering his age-26 season. He was drafted by the Rams and let go last season, where he caught on with the Giants for the final eight starts of the season.
What is interesting to note is that once Brown stepped in for the Giants, their offensive line started to look better. A team that started 1-7 finished strong at 4-4. Over that span, the big difference came on the line.
Eli Manning‘s sack percentage dropped from 8.9% to 5.7% over the final span. The team also saw a dramatic improvement in run success rate, from 37% to 45%. That is significant.
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All of this cannot be written off as a sign that Brown is a stud, though. He did give up three sacks and 19 total pressures allowed. Some of the improvement in New York came from getting Ereck Flowers and Patrick Omameh off of the field. On top of that, the Bears had a 43% run success rate with Bryan Witzmann, and he was the problem at right guard. A 45% success rate with Brown is still not necessarily great, but rather an indictment of how bad it was in New York.
Still, the dramatic improvement can be credited some to Brown. He has always put up better run-grades than pass and was graded higher in 2018 than Bryan Witzmann. On top of that, he is just 26 years old, which presents more upside than the 29-year-oldWitzmann.
Brown is not going to give a huge upgrade in pass protection, but he is a tough, downhill mauler who will improve the team on the ground. His age and ascension last season may get him some calls, but he was released by a team just last season.
If the Chicago Bears want a cheap name at guard who can compete with Kyle Long, potentially give longterm value and at worst add depth as a run blocker, they should call on Jamon Brown.