Answers and Problems with Bears Signing

An NFL Network report saying the Kansas City Chiefs would not give tackle Orlando Brown Jr. the franchise tag can be significant for the Bears' pursuit of offensive line help.

Brown will have the opportunity to check out other teams' offers if he doesn't reach terms with Kansas City in the next week.

Kansas City signed Brown in 2021 free agency when Bears GM Ryan Poles was executive director of player personnel, so there is a bit of a history.

While there is no doubt Brown would be a good fit, it isn't an ideal one.

Here are the possible obstacles to Brown coming to the Bears.

1. Costly Endeavor

This is always an issue, even for a team with the most cap space. According to Jordan Foote, FanNation's Arrowhead Report, the Chiefs' offer of six years and $139 million last year was rejected. So Brown is thinking well over $20 million a year.

How bad do the Bears need to pay over $20 million to a left tackle when they have Braxton Jones Jr. on his rookie contract.

At least according to Pro Football Focus, Jones was every bit Brown's equal last year. Jones and Brown had the exact same overall blocking grade and Jones was a much better run blocker.

2. Positional Performance

Again, according to PFF grades over the course of his career, Brown might not warrant a contract of this type at all. His two years with the Chiefs were solid, top 20 type seasons but not necessarily something to cause a GM to start stacking up piles of cash.

For his career, Brown has never had a PFF grade higher than the 76.5 he received in 2020 with the Ravens. He hasn't rated as a dominant run blocker, just good with a career best of 73.0 for a PFF grade in Baltimore. He has been a superior pass blocker.

3. Positional Demand

Brown went to Kansas City, elated at being able to play left tackle after he'd always been a right tackle. His father had always been his big influence and always insisted to his son that a left tackle is much more important for the right-handed quarterback. His fatherpassed away but Brown felt great pride when he finally had been given the chance to fulfill his dad's wishes with the Chiefs.

Because the Bears have Jones already, would they then ask Brown to play right tackle?

If a team is willing to fork out over $20 million a year for someone, they definitely should be able to tell the player to move positions.

Some might call it foolish to take a player who is making that much playing the left side, then put him on the right side. However, it isn't like Brown's talent would be wasted on the right side. His career-best PFF grade came playing the right side for Baltimore. He made the Pro Bowl each of the last four seasons and twice did it at right tackle for Baltimore and twice for the Chiefs at left tackle.

Jones, meanwhile, has never played right tackle. He always played left tackle at Southern Utah and has been there since Day 1 with the Bears.

So they should completely turn a good, budding left tackle into a right tackle when he hasn't played there and weaken the position when they could put both in the lineup and have them at positions of strength by putting Brown at right tackle?

It doesn't make much sense.

4. Best Answer

They should simply sign Mike McGlinchey or Kaleb McGary who play right tackle at a high level. McGary was rated fourth-best tackle last year, far ahead of Brown. McGlinchey has been a steady run blocker with years when he was a good pass blocker and others when he was medicore at it.

Signing either would cause no problem with positional changes and also would cost a good deal less than signing Brown.

5. Chiefs

After winning the Super Bowl in Kansas City, Brown would undoubtedly like to remain there. The Chiefs are currently $9 million over the cap according to Overthecap.com, but are trying to come up with ways of getting under the cap to sign Brown. They didn't put the tag on Brown in an effort to keep from upsetting him, as he had the tag last year. The plan is to talk to his agent again Monday, according to Arrowhead Report's Jordan Foote . So the entire thing could be settled by then.

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