If the Chicago Bears cannot sign a free agent OT, then they must trade for one
As I said, I’m not exactly sold on bringing in guys like Mitchell Schwartz, Demar Dotson or Ricky Wagner to play left tackle. Schwartz has played right tackle his entire career. Dotson and Wagner too for the most part. Therefore, if Okung does not become the go-to guy here (Why on earth is he still available is somewhat concerning though), then maybe the right move is to trade for someone.
Nate Solder was brought in to be the Giants starting left tackle for a few years, but after opting out in 2020 and struggling a bit in 2019, he is now rumored to be a backup. With Andrew Thomas slotted in as the most likely option to start at left tackle this year, Ryan Pace should be on the phone finding out if a sixth-round pick is enough to land the now overpaid backup? Hell, I’d even go as far as throwing in a fifth-rounder seeing that the left tackle position is that important.
Just as if the Chicago Bears were to bring in a free agent to play left tackle, trading for Nate Solder could allow Teven Jenkins time to heal and catch up to NFL speeds or play right tackle this season instead. If the Giants were to trade Solder, it would cost them $8 million dollars over two years (they are paying him $9.5 million to ride the bench). The problem here is it would only cost the Chicago Bears $3 million this year but nearly $14 million next year.
It is possible some type of financial deal could be worked out where the Giants absorb some of his $4 million roster bonus that is guaranteed. Plus, if Solder plays well enough in 2020 then paying your starting left tackle $14 million is not that bad of a deal. With Solder in place for two years, Jenkins could become the dominant right tackle I envisioned for hopefully over a decade if his back issues do not become a lingering problem.
Another trade possibility that should not cost much but could possibly help is Ty Sambrailo. Sambrailo is a backup in Tennessee and has floated around the NFL. The Chicago Bears looked at him back in 2015, but that was a different regime. Maybe the Panthers will give up Greg Little? Little is projected to be a backup once again despite being a second-round draft pick in 2019. The point here is that there are likely some backup tackles throughout the league worth trading for.
I know that “saving the season” might seem a little drastic at this point, but if a team cannot sustain blocks long enough for their quarterback to make decisions and throws, then the offense is going to struggle even with Patrick Mahomes under center. Did you see them lose the Super Bowl last year? Ryan Pace cannot allow this situation to go unresolved unless they truly are not concerned about Jenkins’ progress.
The last resort is seeing which players are cut from camps, but the chances of them being any better than Elijah Wilkinson are slim. Solder would be my target if a trade is the way Pace wants to go, but signing one of those free agent tackles would be the best option.