Chicago Bears Could Now Land Top Free Agent Safety For Peanuts

It's difficult to understand how free safety Eric Reid remains unsigned. He's 26-years old and a former Pro Bowler. It seems even more difficult to believe with the Chicago Bears involved. They have Vic Fangio in their employment. He was the defensive coordinator who helped get Reid into the NFL back in 2013, during which time the safety had his two best years as a pro. It seems like a no-brainer the Bears would move to reunite the two in Chicago. Especially as his going unsigned continues to push forward. The longer it goes, the more likely his price is to drops. Chicago could probably get Reid on a cheaper deal they could only dream of under normal conditions. So what's the holdup? Namely, it has to do with his controversial national anthem protests when he was in San Francisco. Reid followed the lead of teammate Colin Kaepernick in taking a knee during the anthem as a way of protest against police brutality in black communities. Kaepernick seems to have been frozen out of the league as a result and now owners are reluctant with Reid.

Chicago Bears would easily survive brief backlash of signing Reid

One of the common misconceptions about this is the fact that Reid is perceived as a locker room cancer. That is not the case at all. Several teammates have defended him to the media, saying he's been a model citizen aside from his protests before games. It's unclear if he'd be aiming to continue them once signed by a new team, but MMQB expert Andy Benoit thinks teams are making a huge mistake leaving him out in the cold.

"Signing Reid would bring a rush of media and backlash from some sectors for maybe two or three days. Few, if any, non-sports entities would cover the signing. Reid would draw attention if he continues to protest in 2018, but no more than he did in 2017 when the Niners, from afar, appeared to survive just fine. Reid, unlike Kaepernick, does not have fundamental flaws in his game. He’s experienced as a free safety, box safety, matchup safety, slot corner, and linebacker. He’s a hitter who can also cover, both man and zone. He’s shown instinctive playmaking prowess."

[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/freeD-See-just-how-close-Eric-Reids-INT-was-to-a-Cardinals-TD-Week-9.mp4"][/video] There is no question Reid would make the Bears defense better. People want to believe that Adrian Amos has turned the corner but the truth is he still has his drawbacks. Reid proved he's a much more productive player in the Fangio scheme. Being able to get him cheap only strengthens the case for looking past the initial controversy towards the long-term outlook.