Chicago Bears: 3 Free agents who deserve tryouts to replace Artie Burns

Dre Kirkpatrick is worth a look for the Chicago Bears

Another guy the Chicago Bears should bring in for a tryout is Dre Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick is a lengthy corner at 6’2″ and 190lbs. He falls somewhere in between Logan Ryan and Morris Claiborne when it comes to coverage and playmaking ability.

Kirkpatrick has played all eight years of his career in Cincinnati. Over that time he has come away with 10 interceptions. Although drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Kirkpatrick did not start for the Bengals until 2015. He has had some issues with injuries as he was placed on injured reserve late in the year in both 2018 and 2019. Last season he missed 10 games after hyperextending his knee.

At nearly 31 years old, the knee could prove to be a lingering problem, but that should not stop the Bears from bringing Kirkpatrick in for a tryout. The knee clearly bothered him as he allowed a quarterback rating of 122.5 while being targeted. The year before Kirkpatrick only allowed a quarterback rating of 82.2. Quarterbacks completion percentage while targeting Kirkpatrick also jumped from 50 percent to 63.3 percent. Either it was the knee or age catching up to him.

Ryan Pace should bring all three of these guys in for a tryout and see who has the most to offer. None of them should be signed for more than one season or more than $2 million dollars. Even if the Bears do not sign any of the three, the team needs to do its due diligence in finding a replacement for Artie Burns.