The Chicago Bears are running out of options in free agency as the team is strapped against the salary cap. As it stands, ESPN has two interesting projections on the Bears 2020 depth chart.
The Chicago Bears recently made three moves this offseason. First, Ryan Pace added Jimmy Graham to come in and hopefully save the tight end position. Not many fans are for this move based on his age and lack of production in Green Bay, but I am okay with it. ESPN has already put Graham ahead of Trey Burton as the starting tight end headed into 2020. This is not surprising in the least and not one of the interesting projections.
Next up, Ryan Pace signed Robert Quinn to a long-term deal while cutting ties with Leonard Floyd. These two moves were done simultaneously and therefore I will count them as one move. Obviously ESPN is projecting Quinn to be the starting EDGE opposite Khalil Mack. This is another move I was happy about. Quinn had 11.5 sacks in 2019 whereas Floyd has 18.5 sacks over his four-year career. Quinn is a clear upgrade and only two years older than Floyd.
The third move that Ryan Pace made after the start of free agency was trading away their fourth-round compensatory pick for Nick Foles. My initial reaction was the same as almost all Chicago Bears fans who found the deal to be absurd. Giving away the fourth-round pick for a Jaguars team that was desperate to part ways with Foles and his contract made no sense. Ryan Pace essentially bailed the Jaguars out.
This trade does bring us to the interesting depth chart projections by ESPN. Even though the trade took place less than 24 hours ago and even though the team has yet to practice this year, ESPN has awarded Nick Foles the top spot. Yep, they have Foles as the top quarterback and Trubisky pushed to the backup role. If you follow the money and the trade for Foles, I can understand that thinking, but I also can see Pace wanting a true competition for his boy Trubisky.
While looking at the depth chart, I also noticed one other interesting projection by ESPN. The sports network has Tre Roberson as the starting cornerback opposite of Kyle Fuller. Obviously all of this can change, but seeing Roberson over Kevin Toliver at this point is interesting. This means that Roberson is getting some serious recognition. If you do not remember who he is, check out this article from January when Pace signed the free agent out of Canada.
This is also a slight knock on Toliver who many believed would take the next step and start opposite Kyle Fuller if Pace did not add anyone better in free agency or the draft. One might also find it interesting the team does not have a strong safety listed. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix left a cryptic message on Twitter recently that is hinting he might be back. Not the best fit, but I am okay with it if the Chicago Bears can find a way to afford him.
I am aware these are very early projections, but they are still rather interesting. Does anything else on the depth chart stand out to you? Maybe they do not have Alex Bars listed as an option to start at right guard? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.