It has been a long time since the Chicago Bears have had a formidable offensive line, and that's priority number one for Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles this offseason.
For a while now, fans have wanted one specific impending free agent in Chicago. Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith could end up being the top free agent lineman on the market this offseason, but that also means he would have to be allowed to leave.
Kansas City has a couple of options with Smith this offseason. First, they could choose to re-sign him of course. However, that hasn't appeared likely with the Chiefs not having the finances to make a deal happen, considering other players they are paying and/or need to pay.
The 26-year-old Pro Bowler could also find himself getting slapped with the franchise tag. This seemed to be the most likely scenario if Kansas City wanted to keep him around, with the transition tag also being on the table.
Earlier this week, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that it was "hard to imagine" seeing the Chiefs using the franchise tag on Smith and instead, the transition tag seemed "more likely."
Wednesday, though, another update surfaced.
The Chiefs do not plan to use the franchise tag or transition tag on Trey Smith
According to The Athletic's Nate Taylor, Kansas City is not expected to use either tag on Smith. Instead, the Chiefs are prepared to let Smith hit the open market.
It looks like it's going to be "game on" for Ryan Poles and the front office. With Smith likely available, all of the offseason fodder and predictions, so far, have a chance to come to fruition.
Smith is projected to land a deal averaging just short of $20 million annually, per Spotrac. It'd be a pretty penny to pay for the starting guard, but Chicago is in darn-near desperation mode.
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The Bears absolutely must attack their offensive line, and do so more aggressively than any recent years. Quarterback Caleb Williams was the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL last year, and as a rookie. That's unacceptable, and new head coach Ben Johnson knows it.
Johnson's priority is going to be doing everything possible to put Williams in position to not only succeed, but reach his full potential. From his opening press conference, Johnson made it clear he was going to do all he could to get the most out of his players.
For Williams, that includes protecting him.
Soon, it'll be your move, Mr. Poles.