The Chicago Bears could come to regret not signing any of these five free agents
The Chicago Bears could come to regret not signing Bradley Bozeman
Another player who was never linked to the Chicago Bears is Bradley Bozeman. That said, Bozeman is a guy that I was pounding the table for before they signed Lucas Patrick. He is highly undervalued and it shows by his one-year deal worth $2.8 million with the Panthers.
Bozeman is only 27 years old and fits the narrative that Ryan Poles has put together with all of his free agent signings being 28 and under. Many have said he doesn’t fit the system just because the Ravens ran a power run scheme. For example, Lucas Patrick zone blocked on 65% of his snaps in 2021, while Bozeman zone blocked on only 22% of his snaps. The thing is, that’s being overblown.
If you watch Bozeman’s film from his 2020 season, he actually played guard and not center. The Ravens would consistently pull him on outsize zone runs. He has the physical traits and quick enough feet to be able to handle a scheme change. If we look at what I loved about Bozeman is his pass block win rate which was the second-best in the league at 97%. Bozeman also tied with Lucas Patrick with a 72% run block win rate — the second-best percentage in the league.
Had the Chicago Bears signed Bozeman and Patrick both, the interior of the offensive line would look better than it does currently and would not have cost a fortune. Bozeman would likely be the starting center while Patrick kicks out to right guard. This would make me feel better about the current offensive line group, but they would still have needed to figure out what to do at the tackle spots. Ryan Poles may regret this decision.