5 Chicago Bears free agents giving Ryan Poles tough decisions

3. Artie Burns, Chicago Bears CB

Artie Burns is a player that Ryan Pace bet on when no one else would. Now, the question becomes whether or not Ryan Poles will be interested in him in a similar manner. Burns missed all of 2020 when he tore his ACL before the season even began.

In 2021, he faced an uphill battle to make the roster. He was a player they released for a quick minute to place players on the IR, and then they promptly re-signed him. It took some injuries, but on Thanksgiving Burns got on the field for a few starts.

He was cooked early into the game but settled and wound up having a decent end to his season. On the one hand, he signed because Ryan Pace bought into him, and he played college ball with Deon Bush, who may be leaving too.

On the other, he showed that he can be quality depth and there is still some upside in what exactly they can get out of him. It will be interesting to see what the team does with this depth player.