Dwindling List of Top Players Available

The idea of bringing in the most expensive left tackle in free agency is reportedly off the Bears' plates, if it ever was really being considered.

The Atletic reported Kansas City left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. will receive the franchise tag. Teams can officially begin applying tags on Tuesday and have through March 7 to get it done.

For Brown this is the second straight year he has had to play with a tag. The Chiefs would not be able to use it again next year as the limit is two.

Tying the Bears to interest in Brown was an easy dot connection because GM Ryan Poles was part of the Chiefs personnel department in 2021 when the team obtained Brown in a trade with Baltimore.

Whether Brown would have been a fit in this Bears offense is another matter entirely, because at 6-foot-8, 363 pounds, he's not the most nimble tackle and the wide-zone blocking scheme requires linemen who can move.

In fact, Bears left tackle Braxton Jones was ranked higher by the website Pro Football Focus than Brown this year as a run blocker and also overall. He was 19th out of 81 tackles graded and Brown was 20th. As a run blocker, Jones was rated 11th and Brown 28th.

The big stumbling block for the Bears if they had pursued Brown was whether he would play right tackle. Their real need is right tackle because of Jones' impressive rookie year at left tackle.

Brown has considered left tackle the position he wanted to play and came to the Chiefs saying this, after he had been a right tackle in Baltimore.

The franchise tag for Brown could mean other Kansas City players are destined to become salary cap victims. The Chiefs were $8.5 million over the cap as of Sunday according to Overthecap.com and this doesn't include the tag for $18.2 million to Brown, which must all be applied for the 2023 season's cap without being prorated into the future.

The Bears had 34-year-old veteran Riley Reiff at right tackle last year for most games and his contract was for one year. They also have third-year tackle/guard Larry Borom available.

They could also pursue a starter in the draft at this position.

There's a chance another player the Bears could have interest in also will receive a franchise tag. That's Washington defensive tackle Daron Payne.

The Commanders reportedly spoke with his agent last week about a deal and speculation is building about how they could wind up using the tag, which costs $18.9 million for interior players on the defensive line.

Overthecap.com has the Commanders currently at $4.8 million under the cap.

The Bears have by far the most salary cap space available for this year so any news about tags at positions where they need help is relevant. And they need help at almost every position.

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