The Marcedes Lewis signing is bad news for this Chicago Bears player

The Chicago Bears signed Marcedes Lewis in a move that was not overly surprising. Lewis signed with the Bears last season due to his familiarity with former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy but proved to be a valuable addition to the Bears' run-blocking scheme.

The Lewis signing makes plenty of sense when you look into the roster construction of the Bears as well. Lewis had made it to the NFL at age 40 despite under 6,000 yards receiving. He re-signed with the Bears despite 29 yards produced last year. The team did not sign him to catch the ball. 

Lewis is one of the more trusted blockers in the league, though and that has not changed as he aged. Even last year he started to rip away snaps from Robert Tonyan as the tight end two because he is a better blocker. That may happen again this year.

What Marcedes Lewis' return means for the Chicago Bears' offense.

The Bears signed Gerald Everett in part because he has a connection with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. They also made the move before they traded for Keenan Allen and before drafting Rome Odunze, so at the time, he looked like a higher-end receiving option on the totem pole. Now that is lower on that rung, the need for him to see the field has decreased significantly. 

Everett has always been a pass catcher first, and like Tonyan, he is worse than Lewis as a blocker. The Bears did not have a third tight end that they could trust to block and were hoping UDFA rookie Brenden Bates could show something. After looking at him in OTAs, it was clear that they needed a blocker. 

So, Lewis is not only needed as a third tight end, he may start to eat into the snaps of Everett because the second tight end has to have an influence in the blocking game. The move is great for Cole Kmet, as it frees him up to catch more passes, but it hurts Gerald Everett significantly.