Chicago Bears (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Just two days ago, the Chicago Bears received some unfortunate news about a newly-signed veteran.
Former Indianapolis Colts linebacker and first-year Bears backer Matt Adams was arrested on Friday and charged with a misdemeanor firearm possession.
According to police, Adams was found to have a weapon in his car, along with a high-capacity magazine and metal-piercing bullets. The Bears have yet to make an official comment or statement on Adams’ situation, as they gather additional information.
What’s especially unfortunate about this situation is that Adams is a Matt Eberflus guy. The new Bears head coach was influential in bringing over the former Colts linebacker and special teams standout, and it appeared Adams even had a chance to start on the outside.
With the news of Matt Adams’ arrest, the Chicago Bears need to address their lack of depth at outside linebacker.
This offseason, the Bears also added former Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow, who by all accounts will start next to Roquan Smith.
Morrow’s injury history is a little concerning, though, but the Bears don’t have much depth behind he or Adams at the moment.
Names that are currently behind Morrow and Adams include Christian Allbright, Jack Sanborn, Noah Dawkins and Joe Thomas. Haven’t heard much about those guys? Exactly. The Bears have failed to address linebacker this offseason and it could end up costing them, should Adams’ future be in question.
Fortunately for the Bears, there are still a wide array of veteran free agents available. Some of the names that have yet to find a new team include: Anthony Barr, K.J. Wright, A.J. Klein and Jamie Collins.
Adams very well could receive a suspension for the first couple of games in the coming days, and if he does, then the Bears don’t have a single reliable backup to start in his place. Heck, Adams wasn’t even a reliable starter to begin with. This was his chance to do so.
Not many people have talked about the Bears’ linebacker depth this offseason, but it isn’t a strength of theirs. Outside of Smith, the Bears don’t have anyone they can count on to stay on the field and produce.
Hopefully, this incident with Adams will get general manager Ryan Poles actively thinking about adding more talent to the position. Ideally, signing one more veteran free agent to the mix could help the Bears avoid a tough situation come Week 1.