The Chicago Bears have gone two straight years signing Germain Ifedi in the offseason. In 2020, they inked him to a one-year deal with the anticipation of him playing right guard. Then in 2021, they gave him a pay raise on a one-year deal to take snaps at right tackle.
That was a Ryan Pace decision both times, and now we have a new Ryan making the decisions. Is Germain Ifedi a player that the Chicago Bears should look to keep, or is it time to move on from and start a new regime?
Chicago Bears should sign Germain Ifedi
To start, he is going to come cheap. You can argue that the play of Ifedi in 2020 warranted him getting more money in 2021, but nothing about what he did in 2021 warrants more money in 2022. With that in mind, it will not take much more than the minimum to bring him back.
In that, they are getting depth that helps in two ways. First, he can play guard and tackle. He will not be looked at as a starter this year, so the perception of him should be better, and the reliability that he could slot into either if needed is reassuring.
He obviously has a relationship with Teven Jenkins, and Larry Borom, two rookies from the last draft class. If those two liked working with him and trusted his leadership, then he should be brought back.
When you stop looking at Ifedi as a starter and frame him as a cheap backup he has more value. He is a former first-rounder who still has upside, can play multiple positions, and has seen a lot of things that can help the younger players. This is better than a random UDFA, or someone who will be out of the NFL soon.
The Chicago Bears should let Germain Ifedi go
Playing two positions is great, but he cannot play either very well. There is an argument to be made that if Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears did not give Ifedi a shot that we would not have heard from him much at all. He was seen as a draft bust and only got work because of the lack of resources in that spot.
His shift from guard to tackle was a disaster and ended with him banged up. So, you are looking at a player with injuries, no tape to point to, and the pedigree of a first-round pick that is wearing thin. As noted, he better be a huge influence on the younger guys, because if he is not a locker room asset, he is a liability, even for the minimum.