How Jason Peters Would Fit with Bears Offensive Line
The Eagles have decided to part ways with legendary left tackle Jason Peters, a nine-time Pro Bowl player and twice an All-Pro.
They'll use Andre Dillard as their starting left tackle next season.
If the Bears ever wanted to ditch Charles Leno Jr. and move on to an experienced left tackle this would be a good reason.
It is true Peters is so old he not only was playing for the Eagles when Matt Nagy was an offensive assistant in Philadelphia, he's old enough he was playing there when Nagy was still a quarterback in the Arena Football League.
He also was working then under new Bears offensive line coach Juan Castillo.
Signing Peters one only be a one- or two-year proposition because he's 38, but no one is pointing at his level of play and telling him to hang them up. He's been at 75% or better of offensive snaps played five of the last seven seasons.
Over the last five seasons, Peters has had four Pro Football Focus grades at 82.4 or higher. Those are regarded as excellent marks. Leno has never hit the 80s, and last year collapsed to a 58.6 rating.
Floyd did allow a sack against the Bears in the playoff game when Leonard Floyd beat him to get to Nick Foles, but it's rare when he lets pass rushers past. It's even more rare than it is for Floyd to get a sack.
Peters has been flagged for only seven holding penalties over the last eight seasons, and three of those came in 2014. Leno had six last season alone, and 16 in his five seasons as a starter.
At age 38 this season, Peters might actually have a year or two left of excellent play and has been able to stay relatively healthy.
If it all sounds too good to be true, it is. And it has little to do with being able to afford to pay Peters, who was relatively underpaid with an $8.7 million cap cost overall last year.
Once again the Bears' habit of restructuring big contracts to squeeze out money under the cap for other players is coming back to bite them here. Leno Jr. had his deal restructured and if they cut him now they would be eating $7.4 million of dead money. They would save $2.9 million by eliminating his salary this year, though.
Combined with Peters' new deal, this would make for a costly endeavor.
It's not one without merit, but the Bears would really have to be committed to signing an older player who is a bridge to a younger tackle already on their roster before they could pull off this one.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
