INDIANAPOLIS – Bears GM Ryan Pace made some forays into free agency last offseason with some hits — linebacker Pernell McPhee — and some misses — cornerback Alan Ball. He has said that the Bears will not be making huge splashes in this year’s pool, even with admitted multiple needs, but where the Bears use free agency vs. the draft will matter.
In a conversation with Eric Edholm, author of Yahoo Sports’ “Shutdown Corner” column, CSNChicago.com looks at where it makes more sense to draft vs. going after free agents with big-ticket contracts. And two of those “go draft” positions rank high on the Bears’ needs list.
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Three of the four highest franchise tenders are “quarterbacks, pass rushers, cornerbacks,” Edholm said. “You draft them, you’re getting them pretty cheap. It’s a nice way to do it. You use a Top 10, or the 11th pick on one of those players, the first four years are great,” not to mention the fifth-year option that those rookie contracts have.
Check out the full talk with Edholm in the video above.