3 veterans the Chicago Bears should replace in the NFL Draft
The Bears have some serious questions to answer this offseason, especially in the NFL Draft.
The Chicago Bears are an organization that finds itself in the unenviable position of straddling the line between trying to rebuild, and piecing together a roster to compete for a playoff spot behind a middling quarterback.
After finishing 8-8 and making the NFL Playoffs as a Wild Card in the NFC, the Bears fell to the New Orleans Saints in the first-round, 21-9, in a game that wasn’t nearly as competitive as the final score might indicate.
Chicago enters the offseason needing to shed salary, approximately $2.5 million over the current NFL salary cap floor of $180 million, but potentially aiming to retain All-Pro wide receiver Allen Robinson and other high-priced veterans primed to become free agents.
With one eye towards building towards the future, and another trained on making inroads in the gap between the Bears and Green Bay Packers this season, potentially to save the jobs of GM Ryan Pace and head coach Ryan Nagy, here’s a look at three veterans the Bears should replace in the 2021 NFL Draft.
3) WR Allen Robinson
Allen Robinson is among the game’s premier wide receivers, and a focal point of the Bears’ vertical passing game. Unfortunately for Chicago, he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next month.
If the Bears cannot come to terms on a long-term contract with Robinson, and even if Chicago uses the franchise tag on him, the organization should begin planning for life without one of the league’s most gifted receivers.
Robinson is expected to fetch upwards of $21 million APY if he hits the open-market, and the Bears currently sit just over $2 million over the projected $180 million salary cap floor this offseason.
This is widely viewed to be a historically deep and talented class at the wide receiver position, and without Robinson as a part of the Bears’ long-term plans, the organization must continue collecting playmakers on offense. If the Bears are going to keep pace with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings in the division, as well as follow in the footsteps of the likes of the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and others who built championship caliber rosters by surrounding the quarterback with elite weapons in the passing game, they need to act now.
With or without Robinson, the Bears would be wise to look into drafting a wide receiver such as Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle, LSU’s Terrace Marshall, or Florida’s Kadarius Toney to upgrade the receiver position.