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After losing longtime starter Eddie Jackson, the Chicago Bears need safety help, and in March, a rival defensive back from the Green Bay Packers will be eligible for free agency.
On Saturday, February 17, Lester Wiltfong Jr. of SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron examined five free agent alternatives the Bears may choose from. Darnell Savage, whom the Packers selected 21st overall in the 2019 NFL draft, was one of the most prominent.
Savage, a former first-round choice of Green Bay, will be 27 when camp starts, according to Wiltfong. “He has started 69 games and racked up nine interceptions in his five seasons with the Pack. His calf ailment kept him out of seven games the previous season. Savage is a decent player, not a great one, but he outperforms Jackson in all areas of the game because he plays the run and tackles more skillfully than Jackson.
Over his first five seasons with the Packers, Savage was occasionally vilified; but, the advanced analytics from last season demonstrate that he was one of the league’s more accomplished safeties.
Out of 95 players who saw enough snaps to be eligible for the position, Savage ranked 15th as a safety at the end of the season, according to Pro Football Focus. In terms of health, he has likewise been dependable, playing in 72 out of 83 games during his NFL career.
Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals and Antoine Winfield Jr. of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are two upcoming free agents that might enter the Bears’ secondary as first-round calibre playmakers.
But, as Wiltfong pointed out, their compensation demands might cost Chicago in light of other positions that would necessitate a large financial outlay, like a defensive lineman with three techniques, an additional edge-rusher to go with Montez Sweat, and a No. 2 wide receiver option to go with DJ Moore.
