Chicago Bears Stay or Go: Ted Larsen

Should the Chicago Bears re-sign Ted Larsen or let him leave via free agency?

Ted Larsen signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears this past offseason. He was signed to be a veteran depth presence who could help if things went downhill.

Larsen started in Week four, but the team elected to roll with Rashaad Coward at right guard rather than Larsen.

Coward is the younger option and took some steps, but also showed he may not be a longterm answer at right guard.

With that in mind, are the Bears better off bringing back Larsen, or should they let him walk?

Stay

The Bears do not have depth at the interior offensive line. Letting names leave does not make sense. Larsen can play center and guard, and versatility is valuable. He played in relief through 44 snaps in Week 16 and played every snap in Week 17, showing he still had a step.

Larsen is 32 and will not have a big market. It is worth keeping him on a cheap deal and bringing him into camp rather than letting him walk for nothing.

Go

Rashaad Coward hardly even knew how to play the position, and the Chicago Bears saw him as a better option than Larsen. The fact that they did not feel that they could turn to Larsen with the state of their offensive line tells you all you need to know. Does he provide depth? Sure. Can he start in Week 17 to close out the year in meaningless play? Yes.

However, he cannot step in when they need him to, and they would have felt more comfortable with some players who were not even in the league. It was nice that Larsen helped out this year, but this may be the end of the road for his NFL days.