Trey Smith is off the board. While losing a chance to recruit the former Pro Bowl guard to the Chicago Bears is unfortunate, GM Ryan Poles can’t afford to waste time lamenting what could’ve been. He must start preparing alternatives. The Bears need offensive line help in the worst way. Free agency won’t solve their problems, but it must be utilized to accelerate the rebuild. There has to be a handful of options who can help. Adam Hoge of CHGO already mentioned center Drew Dalman is the name to watch for them next month.
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Now, another has surfaced. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune always has reliable information on such things. He reached out to people at the scouting combine to see if anything came up. Sure enough, one name was mentioned that hasn’t been discussed.
If the Bears can start the process by adding Dalman, they could then turn their attention to guard. Trey Smith is not an option, but there are experienced options that ought to fit. The 49ers’ Aaron Banks, a second-round pick in 2021, wasn’t deemed a great fit for the team’s outside zone scheme when he was drafted but has proved more than capable. He was recruited to Notre Dame and coached as a freshman by former Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand.
Banks made 43 starts over the last three seasons for the 49ers at left guard, and the feeling I get is they want to keep him but he will be priced out for them.
“Big and strong and stout in relation to his size (6-5, 325) and moves pretty well,” said one scout who has watched Banks closely. “He’s a guy who has gotten incrementally better each season. Good player and I think the 49ers would love to keep him. It’s not like (former 49ers right tackle) Mike McGlinchey, who they knew would get overpaid and didn’t want to go there.”
Banks certainly fits the Ben Johnson type.
The new Bears head coach showed in Detroit that he likes big offensive linemen who are physical in the run game. Banks fits that description well, which is probably why San Francisco liked him too. He might not be flashy, but he gets the job done.
The Chicago Bears can likely get Banks at a reasonable price.
Expectations are that Smith will command around $22 million per year, which would make him the highest-paid guard in the NFL. Banks will likely settle somewhere around $15 million. Free agency is not where you should be going to find star power. It must be where you can find affordable starters who can fill holes on the roster, allowing you to chase the great players in the draft. Banks is a perfect example. He won’t drastically alter the payroll for the Chicago Bears and should give them much-needed credibility in the middle of their offensive line. Johnson wants to run the ball. Banks will help with that.
