There could be some unexpected names on the market next week as teams cut down their rosters to the required 53-man limit. The Chicago Bears will be one of them. Where it gets interesting is whether they will go past the 53 mark. This would be an indication that GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy plan to do some extra tweaking to the lineup by adding some outside names.
If that is the case, there are three positions they would probably be focused on. Wide receiver and cornerback are the most obvious but offensive tackle could be the other. Depth at that position is in serious question for the Bears. Jason Peters and Germain Ifedi are the starters. Larry Borom is fine as a backup. Beyond that? It gets really dicey. Elijah Wilkinson and Lachavious Simmons have both underwhelmed this preseason. Enough to where there should be a genuine concern if Ifedi were to get hurt again.
The team needs to think about alternatives.
One that would make a lot of sense? Marcus Cannon. The former All-Pro won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and was an anchor on the right side for years. He was traded to Houston this offseason but now it appears the 33-year old is in danger of not making the roster. With both starting jobs locked up and him still recovering from knee surgery, Sean Pendergast of the Houston Press isn’t confident he’ll stick around.
“OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Laremy Tunsil, Tytus Howard, Justin Britt, Max Scharping, Charlie Heck, Jordan Steckler, Justin McCray, Cole Toner, Geron Christian
Roderick Johnson might be the one in jeopardy here, if his stay on the COVID list extends into the next preseason game. I have no clue what’s happening with Marcus Cannon, who has yet to suit up for a practice for the Texans, so I’ll keep him off the grid for now.”
Obviously, there are health question marks. Cannon also hasn’t played a game since September of 2019. He suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out for the year and then opted out of 2020 because of COVID-19. So there are definite red flags about him at 33-years old. That said, if he is on the mend he is absolutely still a better option than either Wilkinson or Simmons. Not to mention good competition for Ifedi.
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#Patriots — 2nd & 9 with 4 minutes left in the game. 10-3 lead. Run one-back power. Check the combo block playside with RT Marcus Cannon climbing to the LB. Nasty. @NFLMatchup #SBLIII pic.twitter.com/ffSL8aN3p1
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) February 5, 2019
I think about Marcus Cannon blocking three guys on this play a lot. pic.twitter.com/HtmJI18QCq
— Pats Pulpit (@patspulpit) June 25, 2020
Chicago Bears can’t be okay with the status quo
That is a persistent issue with Nagy. Too often he trusts guys who don’t deserve it because they are established names. Wilkinson has starting experience, sure. That didn’t seem to matter much to the team that just let him walk in Denver. Cannon has question marks too but at least he has a track record of actually being good. Something Wilkinson and Simmons do not.
If the 33-year old is close to returning, this is a move the Chicago Bears have to consider. Andy Dalton needs all the help he can get if he is going to further the team’s plan to keep Justin Fields on the bench. Cannon has plenty of experience protecting an immobile quarterback and is also a really good run blocker. He is somebody that can help steady the position and be a big help to the younger guys like Borom and Teven Jenkins.
It will be interesting to see what the Bears do.
Pace and Nagy have typically been “status quo” guys the past two years, not doing much on the waiver wire. Perhaps there will be more urgency this time knowing their jobs could be at stake if the team doesn’t perform well enough. If Cannon is open to being a backup, then he is absolutely somebody to reel in.
