3 stats Chicago Bears must know about trading for Ryan Bates 

The Chicago Bears traded a fifth-round pick for Ryan Bates right before the start of free agency. The move is a bit of a surprise as we awaited a bigger trade, but it also could have been expected because Ryan Poles already tried to acquire Bates once. 

What do Chicago Bears fans need to know about the addition of Ryan Bates?

3. Ryan Bates only played 35 snaps last offseason 

When the Chicago Bears make a trade, it gets fans all excited, but the reality of this trade is that it is likely for depth purposes. Bates got to play last season, but it was 35 snaps, and he did not start in any of those games. 

All of those snaps are at center, so it will have Bears fans thinking that he is the answer at that position. While his experience in that area helps, Bates started in 19 games over his five years in the NFL, and most of them have come at guard. 

Overall, Bates has 980 snaps at right guard, 334 snaps at left guard, 203 snaps at center, 95 snaps at left tackle, and 29 snaps at right tackle. He also has 51 snaps as an extra offensive lineman. 

The reality is that his ability to play all five positions is valuable, but his being close to starter quality at guard is what the Bears need. Teven Jenkins has never played more than 11 games in a season, and Nate Davis has missed more than three games per season in each of the last three years. The team is going to need Bates to start at guard at some point. That is the main reason this signing was made.