A Chicago Bears insider suggested general manager Ryan Poles might have been fleeced by the Buffalo Bills in swapping a fifth-round pick for center Ryan Bates.
Ryan Bates is penciled in as the starting center
And yes, the Bears traded with the Bills for Bates so that the veteran offensive lineman would play center for Chicago this season. The Bears did not trade a fifth-round pick for Bates to be a backup offensive guard this season. Many analysts and fans suggested Bates would play guard, but that’s not happening.
In his Q&A mailbag this week, Brad Biggs with the Chicago Tribune answered several questions regarding the Bates trade. Biggs emphasized several times the starting center job is Bates’ to lose. The Bears could look to add a center in the draft, but the odds aren’t great since the team only has five draft picks:
“It sure looks like the plan is for the Bears to play Bates at center. It doesn’t make sense to me to sign a guy like Brewer or Shelton because they probably wouldn’t be far off from where the Bears see Bates. I wouldn’t discount the possibility of the Bears looking for a center in the draft they can develop but they are a little short on picks right now with only five. Yes, that number could easily grow with a trade here or there but the sweet spot for landing a center with starting traits is Round 2. The Bears have liked Bates for some time…
the Bears have to hope he’s a significant upgrade over what they got from Lucas Patrick, who earned $8 million over the previous two years.”
Did the Chicago Bears get fleeced?
While Biggs thought adding Bates made sense for the Bears this offseason, primarily to address their glaring need at center, he’s not sure if the Bills fleeced Poles:
“There is a question I am curious about. If the Bears had not traded for Bates, would the salary-cap-strapped Bills have wound up releasing him? In other words, could the Bears have kept the fifth-rounder and then signed Bates to a contract?”
The Bills were set to part ways with Bates this offseason
The Bills needed to cut Bates this offseason if they could not find a trade partner. Per Over The Cap, the Bills are $42 million in the red with a week to go before free agency. Poles could have negotiated with Bates’ agent to sign with Chicago this offseason.
Given how Bates has not started a game since the 2022 season, there probably would not have been too much demand on the market if the Bears wanted to outbid teams for the 27-year-old interior lineman. That would have saved the Bears a Day 3 pick, keeping their 2024 rookie class at six.
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