Why Chicago Bears could see Drue Tranquill as a free agency fit
The Chicago Bears will be very active in free agency. They have a lot of cap space, but just as many needs, so things will be rolling quickly. One position that will be interesting is linebacker.
While the team could re-sign Nicholas Morrow, if they do not, it will be the draft or free agency to address this area. A name to keep an eye on is Drue Tranquill from the Los Angeles Chargers.
Many fans of the Chicago Bears know of Tranquill because of his career at Notre Dame. Tranquill is coming off of his rookie contract after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 draft.
As a rookie, he played 382 snaps in a minor role. The 2020 season was not good for him, as he fractured his ankle just five snaps into the year. He was eased back into the mix in 2021 but played 560 snaps.
Then, last season we really saw what Tranquill could do. He played 1,051 and had a strong season overall. Tranquill has a long career at Notre Dame and is going to be 28 this season, but that gives him a few prime years. He is coming off of the best and healthiest year of his career, and the Chicago Bears typically want to sign free agents off their rookie deals.
Beyond that, he makes a lot of sense in this scheme on the field. The best attribute Tranquill possesses is his coverage ability. He ranked 15th in coverage stops, and 23rd in run stops last season, per PFF.
Jack Sanborn has been a great run defender, but if there is an area he needs to improve, it would be coverage. You could make the case that Tranquill being a coverage linebacker would highlight the best of Sanborn in the box.
The next real question for Tranquill is about his injuries. Injuries affected him throughout his Notre Dame career, and a fractured ankle took away a full season and hurt another one. Now, he has one full season of work, and it just so happens to be when it is time for a contract.
Still, the Chicago Bears can ease some of that concern with the reality that Jack Sanborn is the thumper. Beyond that, the low snap count will help the team when it comes to paying his market price.
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PFF has him projected for $4.5M per year, while Spotrac has Drue Tranquill projected for $4M per year. This obviously would be a nice price for the Chicago Bears and is just about $1M more than Morrow got last season.
It is the right price and right fit, and it fills a need. The Chicago Bears could be interested in Drue Tranquill this off-season.