Chicago Bears should target one of these free agent tackles
By Ryan Heckman
Chicago Bears free agent offensive tackle targets: Russell Okung
The Carolina Panthers dealt for left tackle Russell Okung last year when they acquired him from the Los Angeles Chargers. When he was on the field, Okung was still a force at his position.
Surprisingly, Okung is still capable of playing at a high level even though he is 33 years old. Now entering his 12th season, Okung is a former first-round pick from 2010 when he was drafted no. 6 overall by the Seattle Seahawks out of Oklahoma State.
The only problem when looking at Okung as an option is not his age, but that may have something to do with the overall issue, which is health. Okung has only played a full 16 games once in his career, and over the past two seasons, he’s played a total of 13.
He presents a tough conundrum because, when he’s on the field, he’s without a doubt an above-average tackle. The impressive part remains that Okung is still solid in both the run and pass game.
If the Bears can get Okung on a similar deal they signed Leno to, then he makes some sense. But, the fear is that Okung’s name will still demand an annual average salary of over $10 million. If that’s the case, then the Bears may want to re-think Okung as a target.