Tag Day Aftermath for Bears

The end result of the franchise tag deadline was a bigger market for the Bears in free agency on the offensive line.

They also might have less chance of retaining running back David Montgomery, if that's what they want to do.

The tag deadline came and went without a single offensive lineman being given a franchise tag. The only tags given were for five offensive players, including running backs Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard and Josh Jacobs.

Jaguars tight end Evan Engram and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson were the other offensive players and Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne the only defensive player.

Barkley got tagged after the Giants were able to reach agreement with quarterback Daniel Jones on a four-year, $160 million deal.

With the top three running backs removed from the pool of those available, it leaves Montgomery and Philadelphia's Miles Sanders atop what's left.

With most positions, a situation like this invites big contract offers for the remaining players. Last year a situation like this resulted in a huge contract for wide receiver Christian Kirk as Jacksonville drew heavy criticism for what was perceived as overpaying the Cardinals free agent.

However, Kirk had an excellent season.

At the running back position, it's possible the loss of three backs from the free agent supply might not lead to a bidding war of any type for Sanders and Montgomery.

Certainly in Montgomery a team would be getting a valuable versatile back who counts pass blocking and receiving among his assets.

However, the Bears could have tagged Montgomery at $10 million a year and obviously didn't so they don't value him at that level.

The overall position itself might prevent much of a kick up in value for Montgomery and/or Sanders. The draft keeps bringing more backs into a league where value is already down based on emphasis placed on the passing game, anyway, so the result is a gigantic pool of talent and little impact unless a truly elite talent like Barkley is involved.

The NFL Scouting Combine just held showed real depth of speed at the running back position. Michael Renner, in writing for Pro Football Focus, said multiple backs who don't even qualify for the top 10 in the 2023 class would have cracked the top five in many other years.

The Bears might not get Montgomery back, but it would more than likely be a decision based on how they think they might improve this position rather than one where another team stole their valued player.

They could be in a position in the draft, particularly the second round, to come away with a coveted running back even though wide receiver seems the position everyone focuses on for helping Justin Fields.

The other fact with Montgomery is if he is valued down by the Bears, it doesn't necessarily mean he'd leave. They still have almost a week to work out an agreement and it's possible the marketplace will let the Bears have a chance to bring him back. After all, if the Bears with almost $90 million in available cap space can't find the money to sign him, no one could.

The other Bears takeaways from the franchise tags are the full group of offensive linemen being available and the defensive tackle situation.

While Orlando Brown Jr. is in the available camp, the Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly making an attempt before next week when free agency begins to get him signed to a long-term contract.

It should make Atlanta tackle Kaleb McGary and 49ers tackle Mike McGlinchey the easy top two tackles available. McGlinchey has a slightly more impressive resume but seems to have topped out and leveled off while McGary is now peaking. McGary also has the advantage of having worked in Atlanta with Bears current offensive line coach Chris Morgan in the past.

Defensive tackle is wide open beyond Payne, but there is a big drop from that to Javon Hargrave, who is highly rated by PFF and NFL.com but a 30-something player. The Bears appear more focused on younger players coming off first contracts and as a result, Denver's Dre'Mont Jones would appear a more suitable player as more explosive pass rusher from end in a 4-3 or three technique.

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