The Chicago Bears are set to enter free agency for the first time in the Ryan Poles era. We will find out plenty about his philosophy but also about what he thought of the team that Ryan Pace left him. There are plenty of players who will be gone after this year, but there are also some free agents who bring tough decisions.
What will the Chicago Bears do with the following five players?
5. Jesse James, Chicago Bears TE
The Chicago Bears have an interesting decision with the tight end Jesse James. On one hand, he is not in high demand, as the Bears signed him after the draft last offseason. He did not have a strong season statistically, so it is hard to say that his market increased in any way.
The team could be interested in keeping him, though. When the team initially signed him, he was the number three behind Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet. However, by the time that the season ended James passed up Graham and was looked at as the much more reliable option.
The Bears could slow play their interest, but there is probably interest of some sort. The team has no other tight-end options that they can point to, and it is not like they are going to spend up for depth at the position.
The last question is whether James wants to come back. He developed chemistry with Justin Fields, but at the same time, because he spent so long being a number three tight end, last season was one of the worst statistical years that he has had in his career. He could be holding out for a true number spot and a better offensive situation for his play.
4. Alec Ogletree, Chicago Bears LB
Alec Ogletree got more playing time than Jesse James from the start but was signed even later in the offseason. Once again you have to wonder if there will be much interest in him outside the organization.
The team did not sign him until they realized that Danny Trevathan was not going to be healthy enough to play in 2021. They have to have a similar uneasiness when it comes to Trevathan in 2022, and that means eating dead money to move on from him.
With that in mind, they need to replace Trevtahan once again, and they need to do it cheaply once again. This makes Ogletree intriguing in some ways. Players such as Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn come from Georgia and wanted their fellow alum to join the team. If Ryan Poles asked them their thoughts, they may say to bring him back for another season.
Still, while they have to bring in some cheap depth besides Roquan Smith, they also can find someone better than Ogletree, who Pace desperately signed in August last year.
It is time for Matt Eberflus to bring in his guys, and he specializes in his eye for developing linebackers. Cheap names should be much younger than Alec Ogletree. You can argue this one both ways.
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.
2. J.P. Holtz, Chicago Bears TE
J.P. Holtz has some upside in terms of his versatility. When you combine the price tag that he is going to come with you could go either way on whether the Chicago Bears should bring him back.
Holtz is going to be listed as a tight end, and half of his snaps are in-line so that makes sense. In that regard, the team only has Cole Kmet signed right now, so keeping Holtz would help. Beyond that, the other snaps he plays are at full-back, which the team does not have any other at this point.
Of course, the counterargument is that it is not going to cost much to find a full-back or a third tight end. The upside of Holtz is that he can do both, but the team could surely find a similar player at a similar price tag, and bring in a player that is more in line with their culture.
On the flip side, Holtz will cost little, and they know what they have in him. If they do not have a versatile full-back option lined up then they should not move on from him just because he is a Ryan Pace player.
1. Alex Bars, Chicago Bears OL
This one may come down to Alex Bars wanting to go elsewhere and find a fresh start. As for whether or not the Chicago Bears would want him back, you could argue either way. Speaking of versatility with J.P. Holtz, the Bears also were using Alex Bars at tight end, essentially as a sixth offensive lineman.
Beyond that, you are talking about a player who has taken snaps at guard and at tackle. He can want to choose to go elsewhere, but he is a UDFA who has limited snaps and was not starting unless a lot of injuries were ahead of that. That even came with Harry Hiestand, his college offensive line coach in the same role with the Bears.
So, it is not like teams are going to barge down his door to get him to their team. Bars could be looking around and realizing that if Chicago offers him anything to stay, the cost of moving is not worth it.
For the Bears, they could use depth, and they have to like the versatility. At the same time, the eighth man on a Ryan Pace offensive line should not make a roster of Ryan Poles offensive lines, so do they view Bars as dead weight?