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Miami Dolphins free agent Connor Williams could miss the start of the season due to the ACL injury he suffered against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. Williams, however, could be a player a team takes a chance on as a backup center for a cheap price. Even if Williams misses the first few weeks of the season, he can bring value to a team looking for a center. With teams potentially interested, Lorenzo Reyna of Pro Football Network views the Chicago Bears as a landing spot.
“The Bears have already remodeled their offense, trading for Keenan Allen and dealing away quarterback Justin Fields. Both are indications USC Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams is coming to the Windy City.
“But Chicago needs a trusted blocker up front. The Bears have lacked stellar center play for quite some time. Even the guard spots got ravaged by injuries. Williams is one of the best versatile blocking options still out on the free agent market and could look attractive to Chicago.”
The Bears have had an impressive offseason and it looks like that will only continue given the expectation of them drafting Caleb Williams. Adding a veteran to the mix would only help what they’ve done during free agency. After the season Williams had with the Dolphins prior to injury, he can help a young and talented Bears team.
Williams Not Ready to Make a Decision
In an appearance on “The Joe Rose Show” in February, Williams’ agent Drew Rosenhaus said they were going to take their time with the decision.
“I do think that we’re going to be very methodical and take our time relative to the contract,” Rosenhaus said. “A lot of it may be predicated on how Connor is feeling physically. He may not be a player that signs at the very start of free agency. He may take more time based on how he’s feeling physically.
“Connor’s situation has a you know a degree of uncertainty that’s going to be tied to how he’s feeling. And really, we’ll just take it one day at a time once we get into the offseason, but I’m not sure that that is one that’ll be resolved as quickly as some of the other players that we represent.”
From what he says, there’s a chance that the former Miami Dolphins starter could be a player who doesn’t get a deal done until closer to training camp. That could keep teams like the Chicago Bears out of the running given their team will likely be set in the coming weeks.
How Williams Would Help the Bears
The Chicago Bears could look for offensive line help in the draft and in the remainder of free agency, but most of the top names on the market are off the board. Williams would’ve been in the same category as many as the top in the game, posting a PFF grade of 86.5.
Factor in that the quarterback the Bears draft will most importantly need to be protected and adding a player of Williams caliber makes even more sense. Even if it’s as a backup when he’s healthy, having Williams as insurance is as good as it gets.
The Miami Dolphins could be in the same boat if he’s willing to return, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see that happen. The Dolphins have limited cap space and adding a player familiar with the system for a good price could intrigue them.
For the Bears, they’d add a veteran who proved last season to be capable of blocking in an elite offense.
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