The Chicago Bears’ first big splash of the Ryan Poles era was signing Larry Ogunjobi to a three-year deal worth $40.5M. The deal comes off as big, especially for a team like the Bears who are trying to save up resources that they have lost from Ryan Pace.
Still, the idea that Larry Ogunjobi is overpaid is wrong. For his position and for what the market is, it is a reasonable price and about what you would have expected from him. Still, while the question of overpaying Ogunjobi is not fair, the question regarding allocation of resources is.
The Bears have needs on defense, but most would agree that the unit that needs big changes in the offensive line. Ryan Poles is a former offensive lineman and talked about how he plans to rebuild the offensive line.
Beyond that, the team essentially just has Darnell Mooney at wideout, followed by plenty of questions. The question is not whether Ogunjobi was overpaid or whether the Bears needed a defensive line, the question is would they have been better off spending on offense, than filling in cheap defensive options?
Matt Eberflus is a defensive guy, so he may lean to that side anyway. However, the thing that has carried his career was his ability to get the most out of his players.
Names such as Damien Wilson, Anthony Hitchens, Julian Blackmon, Darius Leonard, and Grover Stewart all turned into quality starters without much investment because of the defense Eberflus played.
Considering the Bears may be able to get the most of their defensive talent, you would think that the big names and the money would be getting sent to the offensive side of the ball. When the Chicago Bears traded Khalil Mack, most did not think that a good portion of money from his savings would be to pay Ogunjobi, a player who plays just a few steps over from Mack.
The thought was that if you sacrifice Mack for skill players and talent to help Justin Fields grow that it would be worth it. The Bears can still add offensive free agents, but the thought was that more resources would be put onto that side of the ball than defense. Based on the Ogunjobi deal that may not end up being true.
So, while the Chicago Bears may not have overpaid Ogunjobi, there is a question about how much they paid him.