New Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles we have to begin making decisions on the structure of the team moving forward. Before he gets a chance to sign other teams’ free agents, he has to make decisions on the free agents that he has of his own.
With that in mind, what will the team do with Alex Bars? Bars signed on as a UDFA in 2019, and after three seasons he will be a free agent.
It is worth noting that Bars is a restricted free agent, so if the Chicago Bears do make him an offer, it will be hard for him to accept an offer elsewhere without compensating the team. Still, the Bears could also just choose to let him walk.
Chicago Bears should keep Alex Bars
As noted, a one-year deal with minimum incentives should be all that this team needs to keep Alex Bars. At that stage, the question is why not? Bars has not played much in Chicago, but he does have a role that is worth keeping.
To start, he came in a sixth lineman often and was essentially a blocking tight end. Still, beyond that, he can play guard and tackle. This versatility is going to go a long way in keeping him in the NFL, even if he does not get many snaps.
He is an insurance policy that you do not want to use, but if you need it, you better have a cheap, reliable, versatile lineman that can step in, and that is Alex Bars.
Chicago Bears should let Alex Bars walk in free agency
The reason that Alex Bars signed in Chicago to start with was Harry Hiestand. He was his coach at Notre Dame and was calling the UDFA to come to play for the Bears. When Hiestand was let go, Bars was still under team control, so it is not like there is anything he could have done.
Still, this is not what he signed up for. The new offensive line coach may be helpful to Bars, and that will be telling about whether Bars even wants to play here, but there is a real chance that he is looking at his situation and counting down the days to choose his next team.
Beyond that, the versatility is great, but he has only played one out of the six special teams unit. As noted, this is a UDFA and now it should be on Poles to find a younger, cheaper, UDFA who can step into that role in 2022.