D.J. Humphries
This one is more likely of a longshot. D.J. Humphries will likely be re-signed by the Cardinals. They are a younger offense looking to build something together with Kyler Murray. That said, if he does hit free agency, this would be another guy I’d take a look at if I was Ryan Pace.
Humphries stands at 6’5″ and 307lbs. Humphries is a former first-round pick out of Florida. He is very disciplined when it comes to not committing penalties. He would be an upgrade over the likes of Charles Leno in that department. If the Bears could land Humphries, they would likely keep him at left tackle and Leno would either become one of the highest-paid backups in the NFL or he would have to move inside.
This is a possibility though. Leno is not tall. He only stands 6’3″ and could move inside to left guard since that is his more natural position. Cody Whitehair could stay at center and James Daniels could flip to right guard. In fact, a move like this opens up many opportunities for the Bears to look to find a high-caliber left tackle.
Notable Mentions:
If Humphries does sign an extension before the season ends, a few other left tackles could hit the open market. The top name on that list would be Anthony Castonzo out of Indianapolis. That said, I would be reluctant to overpay him. His level of play has increased playing next to Quenton Nelson.
Another possibility is a trade. Washington was rumored to be moving on from Trent Williams because Williams refuses to play for a team with a shoddy training staff. Could the Bears look to acquire Williams this offseason in some sort of trade? The team does not have much draft capital, but they could move on from a guy like Taylor Gabriel or Prince Amukamara. Two players whose contracts are expendable. They both have the talent to entice another team too.
Adding one of these guys this offseason would make for a big upgrade for the Bears, but do not be surprised if they add lower-quality guys for depth and roll out with the line they have now. Honestly, the pass blocking has not been awful this year, it is only the run blocking that has been really poor. The more likely scenario is Ryan Pace adds an offensive lineman in the second round to compete to start on day one.