Belief Is Alex Bars Might Be Keeping Bears From Signing Help at Guard

GM Ryan Pace has stayed busy in free agency thus far. Two big moves were made on offense. First he signed tight end Jimmy Graham, adding needed credibility to the position. Then he made the big trade to get Nick Foles from the Jacksonville Jaguars, upgrading the quarterback spot. Since then though the action on that side of the ball has gone silent. A lot of people are nervous as to why the Bears haven't been more active on the offensive line. Especially at right guard. Could Alex Bars be a reason for that?

For those who forgot, Bars was a highly-touted undrafted free agent coming out of Notre Dame in 2019. Most felt if not for an untimely knee injury last year, he certainly would've been drafted. The Bears managed to get him and then were able to convince him to stay after New England made a push to sign him off their practice squad. Clearly they like him. Do they view him as a potential starter though?

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune seems to suggest the longer nothing happens at guard, the more likely this scenario becomes.

"They have yet to add an interior lineman, and the in-house candidates to compete for the right guard spot are Rashaad Coward and Alex Bars. Coward got a shot last season and didn’t show the gains the team hoped to see over 10 starts. It’s possible a few free agents interest the Bears and the team simply is waiting for them to lower their salary requests. The longer this drags out, the better chance Bars has to compete for a starting spot."

Alex Bars developing would be huge for the Bears

This scenario would actually be ideal for the Bears. Bars showed flashes of the starter he could be in the preseason last year. He was stout in pass protection and actually got after it in the running game as well. Size isn't a problem. His issue was healing from that knee problem and working to get stronger. Former teammate Kyle Long believes he will be ready for the opportunity if it's there.

Free agency isn't over yet. The Bears could still make an addition if the right guy becomes available at the right price. Yet the longer this plays out, the better Bars' odds are. Much of this will depend on how new offensive line coach Juan Castillo sees him. He is no stranger to molding undrafted players into decent starters. This would be a challenge right up his alley.