Bears Kick Tire on Restricted Player

Bears general manager Ryan Poles has an interest in restricted free agent guard Ryan Bates, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

Poles has to hope it ends better than his predecessor's dalliance with a restricted free agent early in his Bears tenure.

Bates is visiting the Bears at Halas Hall on Tuesday according to the Tribune's Brad Biggs. Bates is a 6-foot-4, 302-pound Buffalo Bills guard who is in his fourth season.

Like many of the Bears player Poles has signed in free agency, Bates was an undrafted free agent and is considered a high-character effort guy.

Bates has much less experience than many of the offensive linemen who are in the unrestricted free agent market. He has only four regular-season starts.

One was early in the year as an extra lineman in a run-heavy formation. However, later he stepped in at left guard for a game due to injury and when Jon Feliciano came back to full health and the line reshuffled, Bates was the right guard starter. He started both Bills playoff games.

Bates played 294 snaps in the regular season with one penalty. Pro Football Focus reports he did not allow a sack and he was given an overall blocking grade of 64.3.

The Bills tendered Bates an offer but it was only at the original round level of $2.4 million. This means if the Bears or another team tenders an offer sheet to Bates and the Bills choose not to match it, the Bills receive no compensation if they lose Bates.

Since the Bills made the tender, they do have the right of first refusal for any offer made to him.

Buffalo had only $4.42 million available under the salary cap so a healthy offer or one structured correctly could earn Bates' services.

However, the real problem for the Bears in trying to sign Bates might be some other team than the Bills. Biggs' story suggested the Vikings and Patriots could have an interest in Bates, as well.

The Bears rarely have looked into using restricted free agency, but their last attempt to sign another team's restricted free agent was when Pace tried to take a player from his former team and signed tight end Josh Hill to an offer sheet in the 2016 free agency signing period.

It failed, as the Saints matched the offer. The Saints repaid Pace then by signing Bears restricted free agent receiver Cameron Meredith the next year and the Bears failed to match the offer. It didn't turn out the way the Saints hoped because Meredith was coming an ACL tear when he left the Bears and never came back from it fully.

Last year only two restricted free agents changed teams and both went to Houston. Running back Phillip Lindsay left Denver that way and cornerback Tremon Smith left Indianpolis the same way.

The last restricted free agent to change teams before those two was wide receiver Damiere Byrd when Carolina to Arizona in 2020, before he signed with the Bears last year as an unrestricted free agent.

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