The Chicago Bears made a move on the first day of the free agency tampering period by signing tight end Jimmy Graham. It seems that many fans absolutely hate the signing, but there are three reasons to get on board.
The Chicago Bears made a splash in free agency by signing Jimmy Graham to a two-year, $16 million dollar contract. Alright, maybe splash is too strong of a word. The thing is, the outrage over his contract is somewhat ridiculous. Many factors are in play here and although Ryan Pace has put himself in this tight end predicament, the outcome of signing Graham is not a bad one.
Adam Hoge of NBCSports reminds us that Graham was actually released by the Packers prior to the start of the legal tampering period. This means that teams could actually have signed or at least spoken to Graham’s agent five days earlier. Hoge goes on to mention that the fact that Graham was signed in the first wave of free agents highly suggests there was a market and competition for Graham. This is important to consider as I lay out the three arguments.
The 2020 NFL Draft is coming up quickly and the Chicago Bears could easily add another player into the fold if one should drop to a value Ryan Pace likes. We should also remember how Jesper Horsted played well once given a chance towards the end of the season. Add in the fact they signed Demetrius Harris and project player Darion Clarck this offseason would suggest a tight end cmpetition will be deployed. Do not be shocked if they no longer draft a tight end now too.
Bears fans should be getting on board with the addition of Graham for three main reasons.