The Chicago Bears have a host of free agents on their current roster that they have to decide whether to bring back or let them walk in free agency. One interesting debate will be with Marcedes Lewis. Lewis is going to be 40 years old, so there is a debate about whether he will even play in the NFL.
Should the Chicago Bears re-sign Marcedes Lewis in free agency?
Still, when he was with the Bears last season, he was a nice addition and at least brought more to the table than Robert Tonyan. That may say more about Tonyan than Lewis, but Lewis did his role and did it well. Lewis was almost solely a blocker for the Bears.
Two hundred eighty-nine of his 330 snaps last year were blocking. Still, he was good at it, and it was a valuable piece of a run-first offense. The Bears are going to need a run-blocking tight end anyway, so why not just bring back Lewis?
A few reasons will prevent this. First, the change in offensive identity and quarterback will make the blocking tight end less of a need. They could sign a blocking tight end, but he does not have to be such a negative in the passing game. Also, Lewis signed with the Chicago Bears because he knew Luke Getsy so well from their time together with the Green Bay Packers. It is not a coincidence that Lewis joined Robert Tonyan, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Lucas Patrick as former Packers to join Getsy due to familiarity.
So, the Chicago Bears may not have interest as the offense shifts directions. Lewis may feel as though he wants to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders before he signs with the Chicago Bears this offseason. While they could connect, the odds are that Marcedes Lewis will play somewhere else in 2024.