Potential Bears free agency home run would be right in Ben Johnson’s wheelhouse

Ben Johnson is heading to the Chicago Bears with a clear directive to help quarterback Caleb Williams fulfill his full potential. A big part of that process will be providing him a lot more protection than he enjoyed during his rookie season.

That's why NFL executives believe a significant portion of the team's free agency cash will be spent on offensive line upgrades. In particular, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler's poll of executives and team personnel ($) believes that Chiefs guard Trey Smith will draw strong interest from Chicago.

Smith projects to be the No. 1 guard in this year's free agency clash and that is a massive area of need for the Bears.

The question to ask here is whether or not the Bears would be better served to spread their free agency cash rather than spending big on a non-premium position.

Bears predicted to sign OG Trey Smith in free agency, a perfect fit for Ben Johnson

In theory, Chicago could acquire an upgrade at guard through the draft at a fraction of the cost it would take to sign Smith in free agency. There's some merit to the idea of building around Williams with young, cost-controlled rookies who will be on his timeline.

The other side of that argument would suggest it's imperative that Chicago do everything in its power to protect their most valuable asset next season. Williams was battered on a weekly basis last season. Signing Smith could help provide him a clean pocket to work from in his sophomore campaign. That will be a building block of any offensive plan Johnson puts together for his offensive talisman.

In the end, the Bears have a number of different assets they can throw at their offensive line problem. Signing a marquee free agent like Smith should be combined with a draft pick or two to completely revamp the line to fit Johnson's wants and needs as the head coach. There's no price too high for the Bears to pay if it means giving Johnson a better chance to succeed next year.