Chicago Bears: 5 Under-the-radar free agent targets in 2020
4. Daryl Williams
The Chicago Bears have to fix the offensive line. With Kyle Long‘s retirement, they have a hole not only at guard but also in leadership. I’ve professed for a while that the line needs an alpha male to get everyone in line. With Long’s absence, the linemen looked lost at times. Also, they lacked the discipline that Long demanded. Charles Leno by himself had almost as many penalties as some teams.
I believe the Bears go through the draft to get their man. They could go through free agency to get a backup (or they could make their one splash on someone like Brandon Scherff).
The offensive line still needs some depth. They likely have Leno for the foreseeable future. They have Bobby Massie, but the Bears have an option on his contract for 2021. They would have to exercise that option before the end of the 2020 season. The team could decide to part ways with him.
The Bears would need to have a plan for his replacement. They have Alex Bars who should see action in 2020. They could also sign Daryl Williams to compete for the starting job.
Williams was doing well in his career until he suffered a knee injury in Week 1 of the 2018 season. He came back and played in all 16 games in 2019 but he wasn’t the same. However, the reason for that could be that he was still not 100 percent.
We saw that wide receiver Allen Robinson wasn’t what Bears fans expected in his first season with the team in 2018. He suffered a knee injury as well and didn’t look the same. When he came back in 2019, though, he showed everyone why the Bears gave him that contract.
The same could happen to Williams. At any rate, signing him wouldn’t take much. If he is over his knee trouble he could compete and win the right tackle starting job. Even if he doesn’t, he’ll provide the Bears with good depth. He also plays right guard so he could be a great backup, filling in both positions.
Williams is a big, strong mauler (he measures in at 6-6, 330 pounds). He can help open holes for running back David Montgomery. The great thing about him is that he committed just one penalty in 2019. Better yet, he hasn’t committed more than two in a season throughout his career.
Not all deals are for superstars. Williams has the ability to become a starter and be an anchor on the edge. On the other hand, he could be a dependable backup in multiple positions, and that is good as well.