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

The Chicago Bears should re-sign Jesse James

This one might surprise people, but I would be very happy if the Chicago Bears brought Jesse James back on a short-term deal. Cole Kmet is going to need to step up and fully claim that starting tight end role, but with him as the focal point and Jesse James and Jesper Horsted as the backups, the tight end room should remain solid in 2022.

James will be 28 years old and although he didn’t contribute on the stat sheet as much as many people hoped, he still brings consistency to a receiving group that will look very, very different for Justin Fields in 2022. James played in 14 games and saw eight targets. He caught all of those targets for 62 yards and a touchdown. James would not be brought in as the receiving threat of the offense but allows the team to run two tight end sets when needed as he is a decent blocking tight end who can make catches when needed.

It’s possible that James will want to go to a team that allows him to compete for more targets, but I think everyone knows who he is at this point in his career. James is a well-rounded tight end who doesn’t excel in one area over another, but he brings enough to the table and can fill in if/when needed as a starter. This would obviously be on a short-term, team-friendly deal.