One of the bigger surprises of this offseason was when the Chicago Bears signed veteran offensive lineman Germain Ifedi. It wasn't so much that they acquired offensive line help. That was expected given how the unit performed in 2019 and what they lost with Kyle Long retiring and Ted Larsen and Cornelius Lucas departing as free agents. It was more what GM Ryan Pace managed to acquire him for.
Projections before free agency had Ifedi earning a considerable amount of money with some projecting anywhere from $8-12 million per year. The Bears brought him in for the veteran minimum at just over $1 million. A steal when considering the man has starting experience at both tackle and guard. How did that happen?
A couple of factors. One was the impact of the coronavirus, which caused the market to develop slower than normal. As the days passed, things began to slow down. So Ifedi made a calculated decision. He accepted a cheap deal for one year in hopes he can turn that into a bigger payday in 2021. Being he's 25-years old, it's not a bad gamble.
Then there was the other factor.
Something he told Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. He was excited about a chance to play for Matt Nagy.
“Talking with Coach (Matt) Nagy and Ryan Pace, it’s a team that is hungry coming off of a tough year there,” Ifedi said. “The culture is good there, and we have an opportunity to do special things. I wanted to be a part of that, and it just seemed like a great fit for me...
...He (OL coach Juan Castillo) seemed really excited to be able to work with me and thinks he can continue making me a better player,” Ifedi said. “His reputation speaks for itself. He’s been in the league a couple decades and is as respected as there is as a coach, so it’s a really cool opportunity to be able to work with him and all of the offensive staff, starting with Coach Nagy, who is a highly regarded offensive mind.”
Germain Ifedi is ready to compete whenever the time comes
GM Ryan Pace made it clear that the Bears' plans for Ifedi involve him at guard. This would mean he switches positions from tackle for the first time since his rookie year in 2016. Ifedi can play either but coming out in the draft most felt his better position was inside. This due to his somewhat slower feet. Pace indicated the Bears were high on him back then. So this is an opportunity to see if they can get more out of the blocker than Seattle did in four seasons. At a position he might fit better too.
As things stand, Ifedi could be called the favorite to win that starting job. His competition currently consists of Rashaad Coward and Alex Bars. Coward filled in for the injured Long last season. He wasn't terrible but certainly didn't do enough to show he deserves the job long-term. Bars was a coveted undrafted free agent from Notre Dame. There is upside but it's not clear where he stands with Harry Hiestand, the man who helped recruit him gone.
So unless the Bears add another body in the next month or so, it seems like Ifedi's job to lose.
