4 free agents who would solve the Chicago Bears problem at center

Chicago Bears Free Agent Target: Brian Allen, C – Rams

Out of the four free agents I am going to mention, I think Brian Allen might be the guy I’d want to see signed most. Allen is coming off a Super Bowl win and is still probably living off of that high. However, as the 2022 season approaches, Allen has to start thinking about his future. Will he return to the Rams for a potential back-to-back Super Bowl run, or will he follow the money and move onto a new team?

Allen was a fourth-round draft pick in 2018. He is coming off his rookie contract and looking for a bigger payday. He is still relatively young at 26 and pairing him up with Justin Fields now would be ideal. Allen also will not command the type of salary as Ryan Jensen. Allen had an elite season based on PFF scoring with an 80.2 grade. He started 16 games in 2021, missed all of 2020 due to a knee injury, only started nine games in 2019 and barely saw offensive snaps in his rookie year.

In 2019, Allen’s PFF grade was not as ideal as it was in 2021. In fact, he barely graded above Sam Mustipher. Some of you might be saying, well maybe the Bears should be giving guys like Mustipher more time to develop. My thing is, Mustipher can develop from the bench. Brian Allen does not have the same issues as Mustipher in the strength department. He is not blown backward play after play each week.

My suggestion is not to be overly excited about that 80.2 PFF grade. Personally, I don’t think he had “that” good of a season. He committed four penalties and allowed five sacks. The thing is, Allen is trending upward and he shouldn’t cost more than $6 to $8 million per year. As a major upgrade, I’d highly consider signing Allen if I was Ryan Poles. Not to mention, he was born and raised in Hinsdale, Illinois.