Chicago Bears Free Agency 2022 Stay or Go: Christian Jones
The Chicago Bears have a new General Manager and he has legitimate decisions to make on the rest of the roster. He will start by deciding whether to re-sign any free agents before they get away and hit the open market.
One player will be Christian Jones. Jones was a long-time Chicago Bears player early in his career but went to Detroit for three seasons before coming back to his original team in 2021. How was his season with the team and will the Chicago Bears bring him back?
Chicago Bears should re-sign Christian Jones
The depth chart is currently rail-thin at linebacker. Roquan Smith is looking around wondering who is going to play with him. Danny Trevathan is currently signed, but when you combine his injury and health status, the question surrounding him is when will the Chicago Bears release him, not if.
Alec Ogletree played above Jones last season but obviously would come at a higher price tag as well. Jones could come in on the minimum and provide depth for a position that needs it.
Beyond that, he was a relied-on special team’s asset back in 2014, and all the way through the 2021 season, Jones has maintained league status by his tackling abilities. There is little risk to letting him go, so they should let him stick around.
Chicago Bears should let Christian Jones walk
When looking at the career snap counts for Christian Jones, the only time that he played fewer snaps was in 2016. Sure, Jones is 30 and has never been viewed as a starter, but he put in over 500 snaps in 2020 and was averaging closer to 600 with the Lions.
In Chicago, he only played about 100 snaps last season. That is a big drop-off and likely one that he did not think he would endure. Christian Jones signed before Alec Ogletree. When he signed, he probably saw the aging Trevathan and thought that he could get on the field.
dark. Next. Projecting an extension for Roquan Smith
The Chicago Bears brought in Ogletree late, and he played over Jones immediately. On one hand, Jones knows the area well, and there are new leaders who may let him get that shot next year. On the other, he may be thinking that he can find playing time in this league, and that just will not happen in Chicago.