The only six pending Chicago Bears free agents worth re-signing

The Chicago Bears should re-sign Bilal Nichols

This next player is not one I’d go to bat for like I would Jakeem Grant or James Daniels. Instead, I think I’d let Bilal Nichols go test free agency and have him come back with a number. Depending on what that number is will determine if he should be brought back in 2022 or not.

The decision to keep Daniels on the roster or not should be between new head coach Matt Eberflus and new defensive coordinator Alan Williams. If they believe that Nichols, who has shown versatility on the defensive line due to prior injuries to Akiem Hicks, can play the 3-technique then he might be worth re-signing depending on the salary. I would not look to pay him more than $6 million per season.

It is possible that Nichols sees a similar contract to what Roy Robertson-Harris received from the Jaguars last year. That contract was three years, $23.4 million with $14 million guaranteed. The deal is more like a two-year deal, but a little too pricey for my taste. I’d lean more for a three-year, $20 million dollar deal with $12 million guaranteed. Anything more than that and I think you can bring in a replacement-level option for cheaper. The productivity might be slightly less, but let’s not act like Nichols has been a dominant force.