Chicago Bears: 2 players Ryan Pace must target this offseason

Free Agency – Brandon Scherff (OG), Washington Redskins

Let me preface this next section by saying that I think that this would be a great move, but the chances may seem unlikely due to the potential price tag  Brandon Scherff may carry.  The former 5th overall pick from the 2015 draft has proven to be one of the bright spots of an under-performing Redskins team.

He has also proven to be a dominant run-blocker with the Redskins which has garnered two Pro Bowl selections in his first four years in the league.  He was also named an alternate for this year’s Pro Bowl but will not attend due to his move to the IR.

What would it take for the Bears to pull off this move?  First, we would have to see a willingness in the front office to let the ship sail for Kyle Long.  As we pointed out earlier, this seems like a longshot due to the cap hit Chicago would take.  The Bears could opt to let players on expiring contracts or smaller cap hits walk in this offseason to free up potential space to sign Scherff.

The downside for the Bears is that Scherff is still very young in terms of the average age of an offensive lineman in the NFL.  This means he still has some of his best football still ahead of him and we all know that will command a heavy price tag on his impending free agency.

Would the Bears be willing to fork over the money that he and his agent will be demanding? One thing that may work in the favor of organizations willing to negotiate with Scherff is that he will now be coming off his second straight season of being placed on the Injury Reserve list.

While Scherff would be an ideal target in the offseason, I would tell my fellow Bear fans to look for the organization to build this position of need in the NFL Draft in April.