Chicago Bears: 5 Free Agents The Chicago Bears Need To Target
By Kyle Edmond
Chicago Bears Free Agent Target #2: Chris Hubbard, OL
The offensive line portion of the free agent market was a hot bed for deals on day one. Brandon Scherff, Alex Cappa, Laken Tomlinson and others were all quickly claimed and that’s not great news for a team like the Chicago Bears who need multiple pieces for this line.
The potential departures of James Daniels, Jason Peters and Germain Ifedi could leave this already abysmal offensive line in shambles. Even if they aren’t great additions, there needs to be some sort of moves, plural, made here by the Chicago front office.
Chris Hubbard is a player that could be a serviceable option for the Bears, who surrendered the most sacks in the NFL last season. While he’s predominately a right tackle, Hubbard has experience all over the offensive line and would be a strong addition. He gives Chicago flexibility to move him around as other pieces are added and can play a depth role down the road if needed.
Hubbard spent his first four seasons in Pittsburgh before transitioning to Cleveland for the most recent four. He started out in Cleveland has the team’s starting right tackle, starting 29 games between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The addition of Jack Conklin relegated him to a depth role where he saw time at both tackle and guard.
The one downside with Hubbard has been his ability to stay healthy. He hurt his knee in 2020 and his arm in 2021, playing just one game this past season. However, his deal averaged a little over $7 million and that was to start in Cleveland. His price in Chicago would probably be around the same mark, maybe even a bit below, which would fit well into the team’s cap restraints.