Free Agent Cornerback Costs Point Bears toward Draft
Certain positions in the NFL command more money.
Although it starts up front, wide receivers generally make more than offensive linemen.
On defense, the line is also where it all begins but cornerback is where it can end in disaster. So pass defenders are worth more when productive.
The marketplace is talking to the Bears, and it's telling them to find a replacement for salary cap cut victim Prince Amukamara in the draft or by trade if possible.
The Bears come into free agency without a starting right cornerback and the hope was they could find some type of low-cost option who could do what Prince Amukamara did. He signed a one-year $7 million deal when he left Jacksonville, then received a $2 million raise per year but was cut after having a down season when the Bears had salary cap issues.
Two Vikings cornerbacks offered a possible answer for the Bears. Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander are both unrestricted free agents as the Vikings face the prospect of revamping their secondary.
Waynes has started for several years and Alexander is highly thought of backup and nickel defender who is coming off a rookie contract. He had a minor knee surgery to clean up meniscus.
Waynes has seven interceptions to his credit in 53 starts and has 42 passes defensed. Alexander has 10 career starts, two interceptions and 21 passes defensed. Neither one has been graded highly by Pro Football Focus, each only going over 70 once in their career in PFF grade. By comparison, Amukamara was at least a level better than both at 73.3 in 2017 and 81 in 2018.
Bills Josh Norman 6 million has struggled the past two seasons, allowing a total of 15 touchdown catches. Based on advanced stats tracked by pro-football-reference.com, Norman allowed catches on 57 of 86 targets in 2018 for a total of 733 yards, an average of 12.9 yards per catch. He gave up eight touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 109.3 in starting all 16 games. Last season, Norman started just eight games and appeared in 12. He gave up 31 catches of 46 targets for 444 yards, seven touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 129.0.
Spotrac.com does market value assessments of players heading into free agency and by and large is fairly accurate. For instance, they weren't far off on market values for both Adrian Amos and Bryce Callahan when they left Chicago last year, much to the chagrin of Bears fans.
And the Spotrac.com assessment for Waynes is $8.4 million per year and Waynes $8.4 million per year.
That's for one starter and one backup who haven't reached a Pro Bowl level and were slightly above average statistically.
Byron Jones, Dallas' starter who is expected to be a free agent, has been projected far beyond the Bears' reach at $14.1 million.
Considering the Bears have only $24.6 million available under the cap, and have to sign a quarterback, cornerback, safety and possibly an offensive lineman, as well as one of their own inside linebackers, maybe a tight end, some veteran reserves and draft picks, it doesn't quite add up to much money left for an $8.4 million-a-year cornerback.
In fact, it doesn't leave much room for a free agent cornerback at all, unless they were willing to take the reclamation project route and go after a player like Artie Burns or take a flyer on a reserve who was an unrestricted free agent.
Burns, a Steelers cornerback, is projected at $1 million a year by Spotrac.com because he lost his starting job with the Steelers while his play suffered greatly during the last two years. Burns has some extenuating circumstances in the form of pressure from personal problems -- he's trying to support an entire family after his mother died and father was imprisoned on drug trafficking charges.
So if the Bears want to maximize their money at cornerback, there won't be a valuable veteran cornerback falling their way in free agency.
They're going to have to take one in the draft, preferably in Rounds 2 or 4 because it's one position where quality starting talent is taken in early to middle rounds but not later.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
