One of the more polarizing decisions the Chicago Bears have to make this offseason comes by way of a breakout nobody saw coming. Nahshon Wright started playing by necessity when Jaylon Johnson was still recovering from injury, and he finished with a career year and a Pro Bowl selection.
Now, general manager Ryan Poles has to decide whether or not to re-sign Wright as his one-year deal is up. When free agency starts in a few weeks, he could command a decent chunk of change. And, FOX Sports' Greg Auman recently chimed in on the topic at hand.
Auman's recent column, where he ranked the top 100 free agents, saw him name a potential price tag for Wright:
"Chicago is over the salary cap right now, and Wright could end up the high-dollar corner in this not-particularly-deep class, drawing $16 million a year or more."
Before starting 16 games for the Bears this past season, Wright had only made three other career starts in four years. But, he would go on to record five interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and an impressive 11 pass breakups.
Ryan Poles shouldn't think twice about letting Nahshon Wright sign elsewhere
Those numbers, alone, are going to be why Wright winds up cashing in. However, if you look beyond those numbers, the price tag is far from worth it for the Bears.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wright missed 11 tackles last season and also gave up seven touchdowns. By comparison, Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon also allowed seven touchdowns.
I think we can agree that Nixon is far from a premier cornerback in this league. If it weren't for the takeaways, Wright would be an average corner at best.
Bears fans saw the inconsistencies, too. There were plenty of great moments. But, Wright is too much of a risk taker, and it often comes back to bite him; thus, the missed tackles and touchdowns given up.
To earn upward of $16 million annually and still be so inconsistent, Wright will likely be headed elsewhere. The Bears have Tyrique Stevenson for another year, but more importantly, they can go after another future starter by way of the draft.
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This season was extremely fun, when it comes to Wright. Don't get me wrong. It was memorable. It was a total joy, at times, but the positives don't overwhelmingly outweigh the negatives, here. The price tag is simply too steep, if this holds true, and the Bears should be moving on with ease.