Bears might have the perfect return specialist fall in their lap on cut day

As the Chicago Bears narrow down their roster to the 53-man limit on cut day, one question still looms.

Who is going to be this team's return specialist? And, can that specialist return both kickoffs and punts?

The Bears have long had the punt returner problem, and last year opted to sign Trent Taylor after his release. Now, they find themselves in a similar situation. Some have suggested guys like Josh Blackwell, Rome Odunze or Tyler Scott at this position.

What would be easiest, though, is if someone like Velus Jones Jr. could figure out how to field a punt. That way, the Bears wouldn't have to use a different player for punt and kickoff situations.

One name to keep an eye on, in this regard, is former Jacksonville Jaguars return specialist Jamal Agnew, as NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reminded us on cut day.

Agnew appeared in 11 games last year, for the Jaguars, before a broken leg ended his season. His experience as a return man makes him a very attractive option for the Bears, among other teams. As Garafolo reported, there are more than 10 teams interested in signing Agnew.

Ryan Poles needs to continue doing what he's been doing and sign Jamal Agnew

Look at what happened over the weekend. The Bears still needed depth at both edge rusher and defensive tackle. It was a fairly noticeable issue. So, general manager Ryan Poles went out and traded a couple of sixth-round picks for Darrell Taylor and Chris Williams.

Poles is doing what's necessary for this team to compete, and he's not wasting any time doing it. He'd rather secure "his" guys via trade than wait to see if they're available after cut day (hint: they wouldn't have been available on cut day).

Now, an opportunity arises for the Bears to fill arguably their only legitimate hole in terms of starters. They have no answer at punt returner, and Agnew has averaged 10.3 yards per punt return during his career. That's more than what is asked of a punt returner. Generally speaking, if your return man can get an extra first down on a return, that's considered an excellent return.

Agnew was an All Pro punt returner in 2017 and has continued to play well in this area.

Looking at his kick return prowess, Agnew is a Pro Bowl talent who has averaged 25.5 yards per return over his career, and that's before the league implemented these new rules which favor the better return specialists.

Agnew has scored six touchdowns on returns since entering the league back in 2017. If the Bears have the ability to add someone who can be a factor in this element of the game, they have to do it.

The Bears have more than enough cap space to give Agnew a respectable, and potentially an incentive-laden deal. Poles should come in with an offer he and his agent cannot refuse just to get this over with.

If the Bears get this right, they'll be ready to compete at all levels.