Would Pursuing Brian Winters at Right Guard Be in Bears' Interest?
When Larry Warford opted out for the season due to the pandemic, it ended any possible pursuit by the Bears to bring him in as a starting right guard competitor.
Following reports of initial interest, it appeared there was none and the Bears stuck to their original plan of using former Seattle tackle Germain Ifedi in a starting battle with Rashaad Coward for the spot.
Now, another legitimate candidate is available after the Jets released right guard Brian Winters over the weekend.
At first glance, Winters would appear a potential solution. He has had Pro Football Focus grades of 62.4 or higher in four of his last five seasons and generally has been average to slightly above average in his blocking over this period.
However, the real problem with Winters is one the Bears just got over with Kyle Long. It's injuries.
Winters spent the final seven games on injured reserve last year with a knee injury. It was his second season-ending knee injury. He missed 10 games on IR with one in 2014.
The injuries haven't been limited to knees. In 2017 Winters missed the final two games and another earlier in the year with an abdominal injury. He spent the final two games of 2016 on injured reserve with a shoulder problem and missed one earlier with a concussion.
In all, Winters played 89 of a possible 112 games due to the injury situations.
The Jets were even talking with Long at one point this offseason after the Bears had parted ways with him and he decided to retire, so they apparently weren't satisfied with their plight at guard prior to unloading Winters.
Winters commanded higher payouts, $6.5 to $8 million over each of the last three seasons. Considering the Bears acquired Ifedi and he costs only a cap figure of $887,500 for this season, there is no comparison.
While Ifedi's PFF grades were relatively poor throughout his for seasons with Seattle -- a range of 51.3 to 56.5 -- he was played out of position in the Bears' opinion. And it's why they're attempting to use him at guard.
Signing Winters would be inviting more of the same issues they had with Long and the Bears are better off pursuing the course they've already chosen.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
