The Chicago Bears haven’t made many free agency moves in the past few weeks. That isn’t a surprise. They and every other team appear to have paused on the veteran market as preparations get serious for the upcoming NFL draft. However, they broke the silence briefly on Monday when they inked a deal with veteran punter Ryan Anderson. It was a mild surprise. Trenton Gill performed relatively well as a rookie in 2022. One would think GM Ryan Poles would be anxious to give the former 7th round pick more time to keep improving.
This regime isn’t above providing competition, though. Anderson was an undrafted free agent in 2018 for New England before spending a year in Birmingham playing for the now-defunct Alliance of American Football. Perhaps the Bears saw something in his tape worth exploring.
The truth might be far simpler than that. One unique trait about Anderson is he’s left-footed. This presents a challenge to returners since it puts a different spin on the ball than right-footed punters. That can lead to muffs when trying to field returns. The Bears saw this firsthand last year with Velus Jones. Now with the team scheduled to face lefties Dustin Colquitt (Chiefs), Tress Way (Commanders), and Corey Bojorquez (Browns), it makes sense they’d want somebody that can help prepare their returners for the challenge.
The Ryan Anderson signing proves one thing.
This Bears regime remains as detailed as ever. Several organizations wouldn’t bother taking a measure like this. They’d consider the left-footed problem as minor and not worth their time. Poles doesn’t operate that way. Every little thing matters in the grand scheme. There is no such thing as doing too much to help your organization. Anderson may not be an upgrade at punter for the Bears, but his presence has a chance to make their returners a little better prepared for the challenges to come.
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The interesting part is to see how Gill handles it. Some guys don’t like the threat of competition and tend to lose focus. This move will be a subtle reminder from the organization that the young punter shouldn’t get comfortable yet. There is much room for improvement, even if Ryan Anderson isn’t the biggest threat he could face.
