Getty Robert Quinn #94 of the Chicago Bears rushes against Rick Wagner #71 of the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on January 03, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. The Packers defeated the Bears 35-16.
If the Chicago Bears are feeling uneasy about their offensive tackle depth, there might be a veteran option worth considering on the free-agent market who has some experience playing in the NFC North.
Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton recently made the case for the Bears to consider signing 31-year-old Rick Wagner, a veteran offensive tackle who started nine of 16 regular-season games last season for the Green Bay Packers along with both postseason matchups while All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari was out with a torn ACL.
Wagner also spent the three seasons prior to 2020 in the trenches for the Detroit Lions, predominately as their starting right tackle. He played a total of 2,528 offensive snaps over those seasons and started every game in which he was healthy; though, he was sidelined for 10 games due to injuries during that three-year span.
The Packers moved on from Wagner back in February to create about $4.25 million in cap space, but he finished up his lone season in Green Bay with just one sack and 16 pressures allowed on 352 pass-blocking snaps and was rated the eighth-best offensive tackle in terms of pass-blocking win rate via ESPN Analytics.
Via B/R:
Because of (rookie Teven) Jenkins’ inexperience and lack of offseason reps, he could have a slow start to the season. The Bears may have to shuffle the offensive line group in the first few weeks. If so, Wagner can step into a role with the first unit as he did with the Packers last season.
Even if Jenkins opens the season in the starting lineup, Wagner would serve as solid competition for (Elijah) Wilkinson on the right side while (rookie Larry) Borom develops in a backup role.
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Worst Case, Wagner Could Offer OT Depth
The Bears made a bold decision back in May when they elected to release veteran tackle Charles Leno Jr. following their trade-up selection of Jenkins in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft. Leno had been a consistent presence at left tackle who hadn’t missed a single game in five straight seasons, but his overall contract cost — the move freed up $9 million in cap space — and their fast-tracked plans for Jenkins seemed to guide their hand toward a transition.
Chicago, however, might be regretting that decision three months later with Jenkins still being held out of training camp due to a back injury (one that potentially is linked to the lumbar strain that held him out of the final three games of his college career at Oklahoma State). The Bears are also practicing without re-signed right tackle Germain Ifedi, who sustained a hip flexor during pre-camp conditioning and remains on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
As Moton noted, even if Jenkins returns to the fold and is ready for Week 1, the Bears may want to add a quality veteran to their ranks to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Realistically, Wagner could fulfill that role and wouldn’t likely cost the Bears very much to sign given he is still a free agent at nearly August’s midpoint. It might not be “veteran minimum” affordable, but who can put a price on a sense of security?
Is Wagner Still Interested in Playing?
The biggest question about Wagner for any inquiring teams is … well, whether the veteran offensive tackle is still interested in playing football. He remains active and on the free-agent market as of Aug. 10, but there have been multiple reports that Wagner has been contemplating retirement since his release from the Packers.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Miami Dolphins had shown an interest in possibly signing Wagner earlier this offseason and had discussions with him prior to the 2021 NFL draft. Nothing materializing increased speculation that Wagner wanted to call it a career and retire before the 2021 season; however, he has not yet announced any official plans to do so and could simply be waiting to see if a good opportunity opens up.
If the latter is true, Wagner might want to keep an eye out for any calls from the “312” area code.