Thread: Let me pose this question about LT

Originally Posted by little bear

I agree on this one. I really want us to upgrade the LT position but I don't wanna see us overpaying a guy that won't bring us any upside.

To be honest I've never heard of Will Beatty before, but the more I read about him the more I like the idea of him wearing a Bears uniform. He's younger than most OT FAs, he's got great size and looks to be a versatile and athletic offensive lineman. Since he's an unrestricted FA he will hit Free Agency, so we definitely do have a chance to sign him. Let's not forget the fact that he would be a lot cheaper than every other top FA.

The only thing that concerns me is his eye injury (detached retina) two years ago. Sounds scary to me.

Will Beatty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks for posting that lb. The way I see it is that he's a young guy on his way up and still with a lot to prove but you can see that he takes his game seriously and he's fought through some hardships and continued to get better.

To me he's not unlike some of the OTs ranked as 2nd round guys this year like maybe a Justin Pugh or a Kyle Long type of guy who needs to put in that extra effort because he's doesn't have all of the outstanding physical tools others have.

The other thing is that he may be far more affordable.

Originally Posted by Grizzblue

Let me ask this question...if we do keep Webb and don't get a big LT FA, who or where would you spend that money?

The gaurd market seems slim as well as centers so I don't really know where we could add value

I like the idea of a slot guy pickup but no one for the right price sticks out to me

Most certainly we can adress TE in that case

I'd say mostly on keeping some of our own for another year. Even if we miss on a good vet OL in FA I still believe we can come away from the draft with a very good LG like Warmack or Cooper in one and an OT or OC in round two.

Guys like Izzy and Roach may not be All Pros but they're as effective as all hell in our defense and it would be nice you see us focus as much of this draft on upgrading the offense as possible. Lineman, a QB to develop and possibly as speed WR/KR/PR guy are all areas we could use some help at.

I think a good TE may be the easiest and least expensive FA grab we can make. That along with some 2nd tier type guys to upgrade with at other spots. If Melton stays under that tag through FA we're gonna be somewhat restricted.

Originally Posted by soulman

The Giants are over the cap but they just released some vets to clear space so maybe they're trying to get into position to make him an offer to keep him there. They've got a good team so he may not be all that motivated to leave.

The guy is coming off his rookie deal that averaged about $783k per year so a $5-$6 mil per year deal over 5 years might look pretty good. I guess it all depends on how in demand he is. Conversely Bushrod's last deal averaged $4.9 mil per year so it's likely he'll be looking for considerable more.

Obviously I'm just guessing here but it seems logical. Time will tell.

More bad news from NFL.com:

Franchise-tag primer: Predictions for all 32 NFL teams - NFL.com

We expect these players to also get tagged, but they aren't slam dunks.

14. Will Beatty, New York Giants offensive tackle: Notice a trend here? Teams are not going to let young starting tackles hit the market. Beatty picked a great time for a career year after struggling with back issues. A long-term deal is even more likely than the tag (and yes, he's more likely to get tagged than safety Kenny Phillips).

Looks like another potential LT to scratch off the list. *sigh*

Originally Posted by MPBears68

Vollmer is a helluva RT no doubt. Anyone know what the chances are he hits FA? And what his cost will be if he does?

signing him pretty much means we are giving up on Carimi as starting RT. He isn't an LT or an OG. Means your 1st rounder is now basically a perpetual swing OT only. Is that a trade offyou're willing to make?

Carimi was a JA pick. Not sure what Emery thinks about him.

Vollmer is a Top5 RT and chances are good that he makes it to Free Agency. Pats have to chose between Vollmer and Welker. Doubt they go with the RT. They've shown that they can change players on their OLine and still be good there. Not really with WRs.

I'd give up on Carimi when I could get Vollmer. Carimi would still be with us. Great depth option.

Originally Posted by JJ-30

I am not by means a Webb fan, but I have to agree with the fact that a FA LT is going to cost more then it will help. But at the same time why would the Bears be interested in carry 3 RTs we have 2 good RT now. Sure some weren't happy with Carimi play but for now I am willing to put his poor play on Tice. Carimi should have never been pushed into starting at RT without having ample time in the training room to build his straight back up before starting. Even if Carimi can't get the job done Scott is still a little better then some.

This year we need to spend our time and money on finding a good Guard and Center, we might even need to find 2 Guards since we have no idea if Louis will be ready to start the season. I am hoping Emery will go after a Guard and Center in FA and draft a Guard. IMO that would bring us the most improvement in our O line and give Cutler the protection he needs as well as giving Forte the holes he needs to get the yardage we need.

Carimi is a questionmark and Scott a UFA. If we can get Vollmer, we shouldn't say no to him. He's proven and way better than what we have. That's all I'm saying.

I like Carimi and defended him in the past and will defend him in the future, but he is a bigger questionmark than Webb...

Originally Posted by little bear

More bad news from NFL.com:


Looks like another potential LT to scratch off the list. *sigh*

Most teams are not going to let a good LT go to another team, anymore than a team is going to let a franchise QB go to another team. Sure, it can happen, but usually if a team lets a LT walk, then there's an issue beyond money. Either he's not that good, or there are injury issues, or something else.

A team would be crazy to let a good LT go. What that means is that any LT available to us is not going to be a great pickup for us. It can still be a decent/average LT. Or maybe a guy like Long who hasn't been good for a few years and is screwed up with injury issues. That's about our best hope.

Ultimately, we'll need to develop our own LT. Not an easy job. Not a quick fix. And even more difficult if you don't have a top-10 draft pick. Obviously, that's why the Bears poured so much into developing J'Marcus Webb. It's like trying to develop a franchise QB with an UFA.

The Webb gamble was kind of like buying 1 lottery ticket and hoping you win the lottery