The Chicago Bears’ biggest weakness is hands down the offensive line. Undoubtedly, the Bears will look to free agency and the draft to upgrade at guard and center this off-season. The expectation is that Ryan Poles will push heavily to sign Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs.
If the Bears somehow fail to land the Kansas City guard, they must have a good backup plan. There is a good chance the Bears will draft an offensive lineman in the first or second round of the NFL draft. However, the Bears are linked to an overlooked free-agent guard.
The Chicago Bears are linked to signing Will Hernandez
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Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report listed Hernandez as an underrated guard that all NFL teams should have an eye on, especially Chicago.
Hernandez is coming off a season-ending ACL injury in 2024 but would still be a massive upgrade at right guard for the Bears. He has had 91 career starts in the NFL and played very well for the Cardinals before getting injured. If he stays healthy, he would be a solid depth signing for the Bears.
Knox wrote:
“The Chicago Bears have $64.9 million in projected cap space and won’t be limited to under-the-radar free agents. However, their offensive interior could use a serious upgrade, and there’s no way that throwing Hernandez into the competition could hurt. “
Hernandez would be a good signing for the Bears if they do not land Trey Smith
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Ryan Poles will more than likely make signing Trey Smith a top priority for free agency in March. Having Smith on the right side next to Darnell Wright could be a dominating force on the offensive line.
If Smith does sign somewhere else and the Bears get outbid, Hernandez is still a solid short-term option at right guard and would be a massive upgrade over Matt Pryor.
Hernandez also would cost significantly less and there is even a chance the Bears could sign him and put him at left guard if they do land Smith.
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