With aggressive approach, Chicago Bears make a statement in free agency
If there's such a thing as winning the off-season, the Bears are well on their way.
After one day of official free agency, general manager Ryan Pace has given new head coach/offensive playcaller Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky three dangerous options to open up the feeble attack, which was one of the league's worst in 2017.
In addition, two key members of last year's No. 10 defense were re-signed, and even special teams got help.
The Bears were aggressive during the "legal tampering" period of free agency that began Monday and allowed deals to be struck two days before they could become official Wednesday at 3 p.m.
By then, the Bears had agreed to terms with:
• Pro Bowl wide receiver Allen Robinson, who immediately becomes Trubisky's No. 1 target.
• Tight end Trey Burton, who will be their most talented pass catcher at that position.
• Game-breaking slot receiver Taylor Gabriel, whose 6 touchdown catches in 2016 averaged 42.7 yards in length.
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Robinson was a Pro Bowl pick in 2015 when he caught 80 passes for 1,400 yards, including a league-best 14 touchdowns and 31 receptions of 20 yards or longer. A torn ACL wiped out Robinson's 2017 season, but by the time the Bears play their 2018 opener, he will be a full year removed from the injury.
The former second-round pick (61st overall) out of Penn State caught 73 passes for 883 yards in 2016 with 6 touchdowns in a Jaguars offense that struggled.
At 24, Robinson was a rare commodity in the unrestricted-free-agent market - an already established star still young enough to have multiple productive seasons ahead.
The Bears gave the 26-year-old Burton a four-year, $32 million deal because they're expecting to get a player who has just begun to scratch the surface of his potential.
Burton was overshadowed in Philadelphia by veteran tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek. In the past two seasons, he still managed 60 catches for 575 yards and 6 touchdowns, including 5 last year on just 23 catches.
The most interesting statistic on the 6-3, 235-pound Burton is his production in the four games that Ertz missed over the past two seasons: 14 receptions, 180 yards and 4 touchdowns. Without Zach Miller, the Bears were lacking a "move" or "F" tight end like Burton, who can stretch the field and create mismatches for linebackers and safeties because of his combination of size, speed and athleticism.
Gabriel, who will get $26 million over four years with $14 million guaranteed, has 4.3 speed, which makes him a threat to score on every touch. At 5-8 and 165 pounds, the 27-year-old Gabriel isn't built to take much punishment, but it's difficult for anyone to get a clean shot on him.
The field-stretching possibilities he could present when paired with mercurial running back Tarik Cohen - vertically and horizontally - could make offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich giddy.
Trubisky also gets a new mentor and a coach on the field in backup quarterback Chase Daniel, who spent three years in that role in Kansas City (2013-15) while Nagy was their quarterbacks coach.
Although Pace has yet to add any new pieces to Vic Fangio's defense, he brought back cornerback Prince Amukamara on a three-year, $27-million deal to keep the starting 2017 secondary intact.
Pace also re-signed outside linebacker Sam Acho for $7.5 million over two years. The seven-year veteran has rarely been considered a starter in his three previous years with the Bears, yet he has started 25 games, including 12 last year.
The Bears hope the addition of place-kicker Cody Parkey provides continuity after they used three kickers last season, whose combined efforts left the team 29th in field-goal percentage. Parkey, who hit 21 of 23 field goals (91.3 percent) for the Miami Dolphins last season, agreed to a four-year deal for $15 million that includes $9 million guaranteed in the first two years.
The Bears also took a huge swipe at erasing the mistakes of last year's free-agency fiasco by releasing quarterback Mike Glennon, wide receiver Markus Wheaton and cornerback Marcus Cooper, giving them approximately $21 million in salary-cap relief. Glennon signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals for $8 million.
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