Chicago Bears May Have Unexpected Solution In Mind At Center

Discussions on what the Chicago Bears will do in the upcoming next two months have focused on three positions. The most obvious is quarterback. GM Ryan Poles appears poised to finally take his big swing with the #1 pick while moving on from Justin Fields. After that, it becomes about finding help at wide receiver to complement D.J. Moore and edge rusher to complement Montez Sweat. Both are huge necessities if this team wants to take that critical final step. However, one position can easily be argued to be every bit as crucial.

The Bears need a center.

This team hasn’t had true stability at the position since Olin Kreutz left in 2011. Cody Whitehair had some solid stretches during his time, but it always felt like the Bears were searching for an upgrade they could never find. Lucas Patrick didn’t do anything to change that last year, proving why he has served most of his career as a backup. Poles knows that position needs help. The problem is the Bears are in a tricky spot. They won’t spend a top-10 pick there, and they don’t have a 2nd rounder because of the Montez Sweat trade.

That leaves one realistic avenue: free agency.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune says it is possible they go after one of the big names on the market, but that could cost upwards of $10 million per year. That might be too rich for Poles. However, they could be waiting on another option.

Here’s one name that makes me curious. What about Mitch Morse? The Buffalo Bills are in a bad spot with their salary cap and are going to have to get creative to become compliant by March 13. If Morse is cut — he’s got one year remaining on his contract with a cap figure of $11.5 million — or traded, are the Bears interested?

Morse turns 32 in April and he entered the league as a second-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015. Poles knows him well and he might be an ideal candidate to play traffic cop on the offensive line and work with a rookie quarterback. I don’t know if Morse comes free. The Bills would, no doubt, prefer to keep him but Buffalo has some tough decisions to make in the next week or so. If the Bears got Morse, he could hold down the fort for a year or two and buy some time for the team to find its next long-term option at the position.

This might not be ideal for the Chicago Bears, but it can work.

Morse has consistently been one of the NFL’s best centers for the past nine seasons. He is a well-rounded player who is solid in pass protection and a force in the ground game. He has the necessary mobility to handle a zone-blocking scheme. Better still, he has extensive experience protecting quarterbacks who have a tendency to hold the ball and scramble. It was true of Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City and again with Josh Allen in Buffalo. If Caleb Williams is indeed the Bears’ guy, Morse would be perfect for him.

All of this depends on what the Bills do. They are in salary cap hell at $41 million in the red. They need ways to create space. Releasing Morse would net the most return at $8.5 million. While it would be a tough decision, they largely have no choice. Buffalo would have to seek a replacement in the draft. The Chicago Bears could bring him in on a one or two-year deal, stabilizing the position in the short term. Then, next year, they will have a 1st and two 2nd round picks. That will be a perfect time to find a long-term option.