NEWSLETTER
I’m going to preface this by saying that I’m just thinking out loud.
The Chicago Bears have a boatload of cash to spend under the salary cap. They have a specific need to find a starting right tackle. Someone who can fortify the offensive line. But the RT market isn’t for the faint of heart.
It could take $20 million per year to lock down a player like Mike McGlinchey, who will become a free agent with the ability to negotiate with other teams on Monday. McGlinchey, while an interesting option to add to an O-line that needs help, isn’t a perfect option. Then again, no one is when they hit free agency. Because, if they were, they wouldn’t be hitting free agency. To be clear, I’m not saying that I don’t want the Bears spending at the top of the market. To the contrary. But I want them to pay for players who are worthy of such a payday.
With that in mind, I had this thought: Is it doable to pay Orlando Brown Jr. at the top of the market for left tackles and put him on the right side?
Hey, don’t laugh. Follow more for a moment. Because, sure, this could be wishful thinking on my part. Or perhaps it is me thinking with my baseball brain. For instance, we saw Marcus Semien secure the bag from the Rangers and accept a move to second base two off-seasons ago. Locally, we saw Alfonso Soriano sign with the Cubs in 2007 and land in center field before ultimately moving to left field. Heck, we even saw the Bears extend Cody Whitehair when he was set to play guard — only to see him move back to center during the 2019 season. Look … all I’m saying is that money talks. And no one has more of it to spend than the Bears.
Brown is a left tackle by trade who didn’t get the tag from the Chiefs. But there was a time when Brown was playing right tackle for the Ravens. At a high level, too. Brown was a Pro Bowl right tackle who was seen as one of the best in the business. But Brown’s insistence on moving to the left side (in part so he can cash in when hitting the market) led to his trade to Kansas City. Moving back probably isn’t something Brown wants to do. However, a scout told the Trib’s Brad Biggs that he sees Brown being better off at right tackle moving forward.
Suddenly, I’m wondering if paying Brown what he wants and asking him to slide back to his old position could be on the table. Brown might reject it and that is his right. But you have to ask, right? Again, I’m just thinking out loud here.
If Brown says no, then at least the Bears already have a left tackle they like in Braxton Jones. And for what it’s worth, both Brown and Jones graded out in the top 20 in PFF’s grades. In other words, the Bears might be in the right to run it back with Jones. Give him another year to develop and solidify himself at left tackle. And I would be OK with that path if it is the one that is chosen. However, Chicago already has a left tackle isn’t stopping me from thinking about a potential Brown pursuit.
In the end, I know the NFL is full of surprises. In-season. Off-season. All of it. So much so, I’m doing my best to keep an open mind going into free agency. Anything can happen when the new league year officially opens its doors one week from today. So being open to any (if not all) options is something I’m trying to be mindful of right now. A player who might not appear to be a fit might turn out to be one. Someone who looks like they’d be a slam-dunk choice for the Bears might not be that in the long run. Unpredictability can be fun.
And that is why I can’t shake the idea of the Bears possibly pursuing Brown when the “legal tampering” period opens on Monday. Even if it takes an alternative path to do so.
