Saquon Barkley will likely be one of many NFL’s high working again free brokers this offseason. If he winds up leaving the New York Giants, would the Chicago Bears be unsuitable to signal him to a deal?
The working again has had an up-and-down profession for the reason that Giants made him the second total decide within the 2018 NFL draft. After hitting the 1,000 rushing-yard mark in every of his first two years, he performed solely two video games through the 2020 season resulting from a torn ACL.
The previous Penn State star returned to the sector the next 12 months, however put up a disappointing 593 speeding yards, 3.7 yards per carry, and two speeding touchdowns.
Barkley bounced again this season, producing a career-high 1,312 yards for 10 TDs. He was additionally named to the Professional Bowl for the primary time since his rookie 12 months in 2018.
With the fifth-year again and quarterback Daniel Jones main the way in which, the Giants earned their first playoff berth in six years.
Saquon Barkley might staff up with Justin Fields to kind an thrilling Chicago Bears backfield tandem
Signing Barkley isn’t a should for the Bears, who completed this season with a league-leading 3,014 speeding yards. Nevertheless, it might be enjoyable to see him and quarterback Justin Fields in Chicago’s backfield.
Fields is definitely one of many league’s greatest speeding quarterbacks. The Ohio State product ran for 1,143 yards (seventh-best within the league) in 2022.
He’s one among solely three quarterbacks in NFL historical past to hurry for over 1,000 yards throughout a season. Michael Vick completed the feat as soon as (2006) and present Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson has carried out it twice (2019 and 2020).
Implications of including Saquon Barkley to the Bears roster
Chicago basic supervisor Ryan Poles has a ton of choices to make. The staff owns the highest decide within the draft, which they may find yourself buying and selling to a quarterback-needy staff. Furthermore, they’ve over $100 million in wage cap room this offseason.
The Bears have numerous holes to fill, particularly on the offensive and defensive strains.
Relating to their backfield, maybe the sensible factor to do is re-sign David Montgomery, who rushed for 801 yards this season. Retaining him can be less expensive than signing the Giants rusher to an enormous long-term deal.
Whereas buying an elite working again like Barkley can be engaging, the Bears must spend their cash addressing different positions corresponding to cross rushers and vast receivers.