Bears Tender All Three ERFAs

[soulman]

Bears tender three players, including Roy Robertson-Harris

ByMatt Eurich 11 hours ago

https://247sports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/Article/Roy-Robertson-Harris-Bears-tender-130033963/?utm_source=247Sports Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=190313_163117_Chicago Bears Newsletter&utm_content=Link&liveconnect=C3-52-7D-DF-F0-AF-8E-1A-53-7F-74-41-9D-F1-31-5F190313_163117ChicagoBearsNewsletter

The Chicago Bears are bringing back a few of their own. According to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, the Bears are tendering exclusive-rights free agents Isaiah Irving, Roy Robertson-Harris and offensive lineman Rashaad Coward. All three deals are for one year and worth $645,000. ERFAs are players who have just one or two accrued NFL seasons. These players do not have the opportunity to negotiate with other teams when tendered, unlike restricted free agents.

Robertson-Harris is the biggest name on the list for the Bears. Signed as an undrafted free agent out of UTEP in 2016, Robertson-Harris had a solid collegiate career. During his four seasons, he notched 134 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks as a defensive lineman. When signed by the Bears he was expected to play outside linebacker in Vic Fangio's scheme.

He was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list before the start of the 2016 season and spent the entire season on the sidelines. After bulking up during the 2017 offseason, Robertson-Harris got an opportunity to prove himself as a 5-technique defensive end. He saw action in 13 games that season and finished the year with 13 tackles, two sacks and one pass deflection.

Roberston-Harris came up big in some key situations this past season and appears to be a player that is a great fit in Chicago's scheme. He finished the 2018 campaign by appearing in all 16 games. He ended the year with 22 tackles, three sacks and two pass deflections. He stands to remain a crucial part of the defensive line for the Bears this upcoming year.

Irving was set to be leaned on to contribute at a high level in his second NFL season before Chicago made the blockbuster trade for pass-rusher Khalil Mack last September. Irving saw action in 13 games during the 2018 season and recorded eight tackles and one sack. As an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State in 2017, Irving saw action in seven games with the Bears, recording five tackles. Irving still gives the Bears some upside at the position and he has the ability to make plays on special teams. He could be viewed as the replacement for the recently released Sam Acho.

Lastly, Coward may have been the biggest surprise on Chicago's roster last offseason. Signed by the team in 2017 as an undrafted free agent, he entered the league as a nose tackle. He spent the majority of the 2017 season on the practice squad. After the new coaching staff took over in 2018, Coward made the surprising move from nose tackle to right tackle in his second season. Throughout the preseason he played a lot of snaps and more than held his own at the position.

[soulman]

I like what RRH and Bilal Nichols have added as DL depth.  RRH has improved each year after having been shelved as a rookie.  This kid can play and we should be looking at keeping him longer term if possible.  Right now he and Nichols are both good and cheap.

Irving actually did take Acho's place last season so releasing Acho was no surprise.  I don't know how to evaluate Irving though.  He shows up well in the preseason but has never made much of an impact during the regular season so I sense a huge drop off in talent after Mack and Floyd and a need for another proven OLB/Edge Rusher.  But again he's cheap and can play STeams.

Coward is the kid I'm hoping becomes another "Big Cat" Williams and can learn both RT and RG as a key backup at both spots.  He's similar in size to both Long and Massie and looked much better than expected at RT last preseason.  If HH can keep developing this kid we may have another OL "score" like Leno.  Again, cheap enough to keep and could make the 53 man roster this year.

[dll2000]

This is interesting for filling in 53 slots and draft goal of drafting BPA.

Edge/OLB:   Mack, Floyd, Fitts, Irving.   

Now Pace doesn't have to draft an edge player and DL is set.  Though Bullard could be odd man out if a DL does get drafted or an UDFA beats him out.  

 

 

[GOGRIESE]

Just now, dll2000 said:

This is interesting for filling in 53 slots and draft goal of drafting BPA.

Edge/OLB:   Mack, Floyd, Fitts, Irving.   

Now Pace doesn't have to draft an edge player and DL is set.  Though Bullard could be odd man out if a DL does get drafted or an UDFA beats him out.  

 

 

I mean....Fitts and Irving didn't exactly play well enough to have confidence in rolling with them as the only backups. 

[dll2000]

1 minute ago, GOGRIESE said:

I mean....Fitts and Irving didn't exactly play well enough to have confidence in rolling with them as the only backups. 

I agree and they usually roll with 5 on 53.  But it's not a MUST now.  They showed flashes and didn't play horribly.  Fitts looked good in preseason, but Fangio always went with Irving first off bench in regular season.  Maybe it was just a rookie thing and he trusted Irving more, maybe not.  Not like they go full go in practice once season starts or do so only rarely.  So hard to earn a good rotation spot in practice once preseason is over.  

Remember Pace just wants serviceable FAs as backups so he can swing for fences with draft picks regardless of posiiton.

I believe he'll identify like 40-50 guys, he can reasonably get through trading or draft slot, that have high potential or traits, upside, what have you and pick from that group and it isn't position specific.  That's way he wants to draft.  

He started that two years ago and likes way it is going.

 

 

[soulman]

With being able to bring in Clinton-Dix for only $3.5 mil Pace still has the juice to go after a vet OLB/Edge guy like Houston if he wants or he may elect to shoot lower and look at a Markus Golden or bringing back Lynch.  He's still not out of FA options.

[beardown3231]

14 hours ago, soulman said:

With being able to bring in Clinton-Dix for only $3.5 mil Pace still has the juice to go after a vet OLB/Edge guy like Houston if he wants or he may elect to shoot lower and look at a Markus Golden or bringing back Lynch.  He's still not out of FA options.

Golden signed with the Giants

[WindyCity]

Fitts and RRH making 650k is like stealing for the Bears.

[topwop1]

16 hours ago, soulman said:

With being able to bring in Clinton-Dix for only $3.5 mil Pace still has the juice to go after a vet OLB/Edge guy like Houston if he wants or he may elect to shoot lower and look at a Markus Golden or bringing back Lynch.  He's still not out of FA options.

Nope.  Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are also still available.  

[soulman]

5 hours ago, beardown3231 said:

Golden signed with the Giants

Yeah, saw that after I posted.  Another one bit the dust.

[soulman]

3 hours ago, topwop1 said:

Nope.  Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are also still available.  

I worry about Perry's health.  He's missed a lot of games since his big year in 2016 and his production has really declined.  Same with Matthews and would a life long Packer really want to give his all for Chicago?

One younger guy I like is Shaquil Barrett who played here in Denver.  Kind of a Dwight Freeney size guy with a non-stop motor who also plays the run well.

He came in as an UDFA who played some MLB in college and moved to the edge in the pros.  Decent backup guy who never got a whole lot of snaps playing behind guys like Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Shane Ray, and Bradley Chubb but he still managed to put up 14 sacks/35 hits/137 tkls in four years as a sub.  Only missed 3 games in four seasons so not an injury issue either unlike Lynch.

[soulman]

4 hours ago, WindyCity said:

Fitts and RRH making 650k is like stealing for the Bears.

Hope Fitts can break out in year two like RRH did.  I really like RRH.  He's got one hell of a bull rush.