Chicago Bears Free Agency Sign or Pass: Will Fuller
Should the Chicago Bears sign Will Fuller in free agency or look in a different direction?
One of the bigger free agency names is wide receiver Will Fuller. The Houston Texans do not have a clear direction right now, and they may end up seeing their star wide receiver leave for a big payday. If the Chicago Bears are going to let Allen Robinson walk, could they find his replacement in Will Fuller?
Sign
Fuller averages 14.9 yards per reception and 9.3 yards per target. That does not even add in the pass interferences he draws. Every time you throw his direction, something big can happen. The NFL is moving to a speed league, and while the possession value of Robinson is there, he does not stretch the field in the same way. Fuller opens things for everyone, which is why you have seen that DeShaun Watson has worse splits when Fuller is out, then he does when DeAndre Hopkins is not with him.
Speaking of Watson, what is the easiest way to entice him to be the team he demands a trade to? Adding the receiver who helps unlock the best of him. The impact Fuller has goes a lot further than the box scores. He is a big value.
Pass
As a rookie, Will Fuller played in 13 games. That remains his career-high. Since then, he has played in just 10, 7, 11, and 11. Last year, he was completely healthy. However, he still missed five games with a steroid suspension.
It has to be a bit concerning that the only time he stayed healthy was when he had something illegal helping him and that he would possibly resort to that knowing his body cannot last a full season.
The splits with and without Watson are so defined because there is already a big sample. While he brings more splash than Allen Robinson, the consistency is unmatched. Speaking of how he compares to Robinson, there is a question as to how much less Fuller will get than Robinson.
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Robinson may be getting $20M per year, but Fuller may be seeing $16-17M per as well. That is not the biggest drop off in pay for a player who changes the offense, but may not be on the field as much.
The safer, more reliable option would be to pay the difference and keep Robinson. If they are going to spend that much, it cannot be on someone so questionable to play 16 games.