Bears Reportedly Scored "Highest Upside" Free Agent In Recent Memory

A lot of free agents have been signed thus far in 2018 and there are still plenty of quality names out there for the Chicago Bears to get. However, if they wished to just coast the rest of the way and focus on the draft at this point, they'd be free to do so. Nobody can say GM Ryan Pace didn't make a serious effort to upgrade his roster, having spent somewhere in the vicinity of $30-40 million so far. Of course, people will say the quantity of money spent doesn't matter. It's the quality. Did the Bears manage to find value in their spending spree? Well, that depends on who you ask because it's all opinions for the moment. Only time will reveal whether they were or not. However, there is one opinion out there that garners some attention. Bill Barnwell of ESPN has done an extensive evaluation of the entire NFL free agency process, assigning grades for every signing. The Bears came out well on most of them, but an interesting comment was made during Barnwell's assessment of the Allen Robinson pickup. One that helps signify how big Chicago scored.

Chicago Bears secured an ultra-rare gem in Robinson

It's well-known that Robinson comes with a big "yeah, but" due to the torn ACL he suffered last season. Then again torn ACLs aren't as career-threatening as they once were. Barnwell believes it won't be a lingering issue and thinks the Bears got way more in terms of talent than even they realize.

"Maybe the Jaguars know something we don't, and the Bears will regret their decision, but Robinson is one of the highest-upside players in free agency in recent memory. For a team that let Jeffery pursue new pastures and replaced him with the combo of Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright, and Dontrelle Inman, Robinson is a legitimate No. 1 wideout as a simultaneous safety valve and deep target for Mitchell Trubisky. Robinson's contract calls for him to make $42 million over three years, which is an excellent deal."

It's true. Robinson is just 24-years old. In 2015 he racked up 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. This was with Blake Bortles as his quarterback. For an idea, Bortles has a career completion percentage of 59.1. That is not good. So Robinson was able to do that despite a higher than normal number of passes thrown his way not being catchable. Now Robinson will play with Mitch Trubisky, who finished the final five games of last season completing 68.39% of his throws. It's going to be a night and day sort of situation. Just how much more dangerous could Robinson end up being if he sees more passes he actually has a chance to snag? It's for that reason the signing is so huge for the Bears.