Chicago Bears Urged to Target Game-Changing Offensive Free Agent

The Chicago Bears have almost entirely rebuilt their offense heading into this coming season, but they might be on even steadier ground if they made just one more move.

Along with new starting quarterback and overall no. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams, the team has added wide receiver first-round selection (no. 9 overall) Rome Odunze, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen via trade, and running back D’Andre Swift, among others. They’ve also appointed a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron to oversee a revamped offensive coaching staff.

On the offensive line, Chicago addressed a need at center (and when it comes to depth overall) by signing free agent Coleman Shelton and trading for Ryan Bates, who can play at both guard and center.

But, if one ascribes to the theory that you can never have too much protection for your quarterback– especially a brand new rookie quarterback expected to turn around the fortunes of the franchise– there’s one more center the Bears might want to look at.

The Chicago Bears’ Perfect Low-Risk, High-Reward Free Agent Signing?

Free agent Connor Williams, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, would seem like the perfect low-risk, high-reward signing for a team determined to make opportunities for Caleb to succeed. He’s been mentioned before as a possible Bears free agent target.

A torn ACL in Week 14 of last season ended his year, but he had already done enough to secure a no. 2 ranking among NFL centers according to Pro Football Focus. By all accounts, though, Williams is rehabilitating according to schedule and could be ready to go by the start of training camp in July.

The injury and subsequent surgery has impacted his desirability among teams. That’s the only reason he still remains on the free agent market.

ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter affirmed the Williams timeline in a recent social media post.

“Former Cowboys and Dolphins free-agent center Connor Williams, who is coming off season-ending knee surgery, expects to be ready for the start of the season and is in discussions with multiple teams about where to play in 2024,” Schefter wrote via Twitter/X. “He plans to pick his new team before training camp begins.”

Patrick K. Flowers of Bleacher Nation projects that Williams could bag a three-year deal worth $22.5 million with $12.5 million of that in guaranteed money.

Making This Work

The Bears are no longer overflowing with available cap money, but a deal like this could be made possible with some creative bookkeeping. Williams has shown his ability to be an impact player and if he can perform at anywhere near pre-injury level, he’d be a steal at the projected price.

Since shifting from guard to center in 2021, the six-year veteran, who’s played with the Dallas Cowboys as well as the Dolphins, has shown improvement each year at the all-important behind-QB spot. He’s truly become an elite-level asset.

But there are a lot of “ifs” when it comes to Williams and, also, when it comes to whether the Bears would even want him.

There’s the cap issue, of course. Then, there’s the fact that the Bears organization seems to think very highly of their offensive line acquisitions this off season– Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates. As a matter of fact, it appears as though Shelton is already the heavy favorite in landing the starting gig at center.

Bringing Williams aboard, however, is worth exploring. It makes sense for several reasons, even if the biggest one involves adding more and more assets to help Caleb Williams do his thing.