It’s no secret the Chicago Bears will be active in 2018 free agency. They don’t have a choice. Going 5-11 in 2017 made that inevitable. It was their fourth-straight losing season and fifth-straight without a winning record. Until the roster is to a point where that changes, they have to keep spending money. GM Ryan Pace is certain to keep his focus on the draft like always but this is not something he can ignore. Especially after his ugly run a year ago.
He absolutely has to do better this coming March. People still haven’t gotten the taste of Mike Glennon, Markus Wheaton, Quintin Demps, and Dion Sims out of their mouths. Does this mean Pace will be more aggressive with his spending? That’s hard to tell. One would say he was plenty of aggressive with Glennon and Wheaton and it did nothing.
A better way to put this is he must be smarter with his money. He can’t recklessly throw it at interesting names who had a little prior success. It might be better to go after more proven commodities, even if their ceilings might not be as high. Arthur Arkush of Pro Football Weekly believes one example is likely to make his way north quite soon.
Zach Fulton deemed a clear fit for Chicago Bears offensive line
With Matt Nagy in charge now it stands to reason he might try bringing in players he has prior connections to. Arkush sees one that could slide right into an opening the Bears just created in Kansas City Chiefs guard Zach Fulton.
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“It was Fulton’s pinch-hitting for Morse last season that helps fuel his intrigue. In addition to showing off the versatility to move from guard to center, Fulton’s size and durability — he’s 6-foot-5, 316 pounds and has missed only one start in his first four seasons — should strengthen his marketability.
As for his market, two obvious potential destinations would be the Bears, where Fulton would reconnect not only with former offensive coordinator Matt Nagy but former University of Tennessee position coach Harry Heistand. Moreover, the Bears declined former Pro Bowler Josh Sitton’s 2018 option and fellow former Pro Bowler Kyle Long has been limited to by injuries to 17 combined starts over the past two seasons.”
The exit of Sitton most definitely makes this move a possibility, along with the connection to Nagy. However, there is even further intrigue. Fulton is, in fact, a native of Matteson, Illinois. Just 30 miles south of Chicago. He went to high school there. The guy grew up in Bears country. It seems almost preordained that he’s going to play for this team. Here’s the thing though.
He’s actually pretty good.
Watching film on some potential free agents. Someone's going to get a gem in Zach Fulton (center #73). Displays lots of solid traits. pic.twitter.com/t8UOviXEto
— J.R. (@JReidDraftScout) February 16, 2018
From the time he stepped in as a starter last season, the Chiefs ran for at least 100 yards in a game eight times and gave up just 27 sacks. He might not be Sitton but he knows the Nagy offense and did good work under Hiestand at Tennessee. If the Bears are looking for a decent-priced player who can keep a vital part of their offense stable, they could do a lot worse than Fulton.
