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Could Quinton Spain Solve a Huge Bears Guard Need?

Bills cut former starting left guard and Bears can use experience at the position but there are some red flags attached

If watching left guard Rashaad Coward struggle against so-so defensive line talent last week in Carolina didn't convince Bears general manager Ryan Pace he needs to find another starting guard then it's possible nothing will.

Then again, now there actually is an option available at the position and it's not going to cost a draft pick or even a lot of cap money.

Buffalo Bills left guard Quinton Spain was released by the team on Wednesday, lighting up social media with demands the Bears pick him up.

Spain would come with some red flags attached but Spain is a vested veteran, which means he isn't subject to waivers.

This would be a case where the Bears could acquire a potential starter with experience without making a trade.

Although Spain is a six-year veteran and was in Bufalo, he wasn't a lineman who played for former Bills offensive line coach Juan Castillo, the current Bears line coach. Spain was a Tennessee Titans free agent who signed in 2019 with Buffalo for one year and $1.9 million on sort of a prove-it type of deal and then was inked this year to a three-year $15 millon extension.

Now he's been cut, which could be red flag No. 1. Teams don't normally cut players a few months after signing them to three-year deals.

The other red flag: Spain was on the injury report with a foot injury.

The Bills had benched Spain earlier this year after two starts in favor of backup Cody Ford. With the return of guard Jon Feliciano from a torn pec muscle, it looked like Spain was going to buried in a backup role.

It's obvious Spain wasn't happy and he took to Twitter with a comment about the situation after he'd been cut.

Spain hasn't had great success since coming to Buffalo. He had a sub-par Pro Football Focus blocking grade of 55.4 last year, although he was not credited with a sack allowed. This year he had improved slightly in limited play at only 177 snaps, receiving a 60.6 mark.

Spain was an effective blocker with the Titans prior to this. He had a spectacular 2016 PFF rating of 84.2 and in his other three seasons as a starter was between 63.2 and 67.7.

After Bears starting left guard James Daniels suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the early second half of a Week 5 win over Tampa Bay, the Bears turned to backup second-year player Alex Bars. But last week they started Coward, their backup right guard, Bars. The running game struggled last week against Carolina, which came in ranked 25th against the run and 31st in yards allowed per rush.

Coward also nearly got Nick Foles sacked a few times, but the line did go without allowing a sack for the first time since Week 2 of the 2019 season.

Bears coach Matt Nagy was asked Monday about the possibility of trading for a lineman and he deflected all such talk to general manager Ryan Pace, who traditionally does not speak to media during the season.

Nagy turned one question about the offensive line's play into an answer dealing with Nick Foles' postgame press conference.

"We understand where our warts are on offense, we get that and we're going to keep working on it," Nagy said. "But we're going to continue to stay positive as we do this because of where we know we're at and where we're going."

As to Coward's specific mistake on one blocking assignment, Nagy didn't want to be critical.

"I think there is always going to be, hey, first time that he's over there, you will always have some of that communication as they go," Nagy said.

Coward had only played on the right side of the offensive line in the past.

"That’s going to happen and there will be time where there will be a communication breakdown here and there and they understand that," Nagy said. "They just have to keep communication as best as they can and keep staying positive."

According to Overthecap.com, the Bears have $8.4 million available under the salary cap.

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