Did Armon Watts earn a new deal with Chicago Bears?
The Chicago Bears claimed Armon Watts off of waivers when the Minnesota Vikings released him on the final cutdown day. So, Watts came into a new team about a week before the season and still managed to play 531 snaps this season.
He also saw a boost late in the season when he clearly beat out Angelo Blackson for starting snaps. The only issue with Watts is that this was his fourth NFL season, so despite claiming him and getting one year, he is now an unrestricted free agent. Should the team look to bring Armon Watts back?
Should Chicago Bears pay Armon Watts?
It would be nice to build off of what was started here. The team is expected to add some big names to the mix via free agency. You would think that if Watts could go from a starter to a reserve, it would be a perfect fit in this defense.
Considering he was cut from the Vikings, asking him to be one of the top two rushers next to Justin Jones is asking for a lot. Asking him to be the third or fourth rusher appears to be perfect.
Watts hit the ground running and did nothing but gain playing time and trust from the coaching. He knows the reality of a new coaching staff being down on you, so he may want to stick with this staff, who knows and trusts him? It is not like Watts is going to break the bank, and as a depth piece, he would be perfect. Why pay someone else a similar salary to fill that fourth rusher role?
The one thing against him would be his production. His pass rush win rate per PFF by year is
6.4%
11.1%
10.4%
11.3%
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The production is down, and that makes sense because of the lack of talent around him, but he is also not winning one-on-one like he used to. Chicago Bears fans were happy with his progress, but he is beating out Angelo Blackson, who was not a scheme fit at all. Watts was fine because nobody else on the roster could play, but he still had a poor year and at the end of the day he is a part of a terrible defensive line. They may be happy to have got the cheap year of playing time and now look to rebuild the entire room.