The Chicago Bears‘ chances of signing Trey Smith were torpedoed when the Kansas City Chiefs decided to use the franchise tag on the top guard expected to be available this offseason, but that doesn’t mean general manager Ryan Poles doesn’t have options to upgrade at the position.
Monday, the guard market became a little more robust when the Cincinnati Bengals released veteran Alex Cappa.
Cappa, 30, is now eligible to sign with any team, and doesn’t need to wait until the new league year begins and free agency opens on March 14.
Could the Chicago Bears target Alex Cappa?
It’s easy to see why the Bengals moved on from Cappa.
Since the move, designated as a post-June 1 release, frees up $8.1 million in cap space this season, Cincinnati now has a bit more spending flexibility as it enters an offseason where re-signing wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson could be top priorities.
Whether the Bears swoop in and sign Cappa, who gets a jumpstart on picking his next destination, remains to be seen.
At 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds, Cappa struggled mightily last season, allowing eight sacks en route to a lousy 39.7 pass protection grade from Pro Football Focus.
Perhaps Chicago believes that a change of scenery would benefit Cappa and that he might be a better scheme fit along the Bears’ offensive line. However, coming off a disappointing season, Cappa is unlikely to see a strong market develop, and as a result perhaps Chicago could scoop him up as veteran depth along a unit likely to be in transition this offseason.
