How and Why Bears Can Sign Guard Larry Warford

Larry Warford is available and it would be no easy task for the Bears to afford him, but adding a Pro Bowl guard at a position where the line has struggled would be a real boost to the offense

The Bears' reported interest in Larry Warford should surprise no one.

It's not just the fact Mickey Loomis signed him with the Saints and so Ryan Pace is once again imitating his mentor.

There is more to it than this, anyway.

Warford was part of offensive lines in New Orleans effective at whatever they did. His arrival helped significantly improve production by a line which already was consistently among the league's better groups of blockers.

Warford came over from Detroit in 2017 and it began a run of three straight Pro Bowl appearances.

With Warford on board, the Saints allowed the second-fewest sacks in the league in 2017 (20), the second-fewest in 2018 and the third-fewest last year. They had already consistently been among the top 10 for several years at protecting Drew Brees, but the year Warford arrived signaled an upgrade.

Considering the Bears allowed 45 sacks last year, their most since 2011, and have become less mobile at quarterback if they start Nick Foles, then improved pass-blocking ability would be worth finding a way to sign Warford.

With Warford on the line, the Saints also rushed effectively. They weren't among the leaders the last two years in yards per attempt, but were in the middle of the pack. However, in all three seasons he played for New Orleans they finished with a better yards-per-attempt number than the Bears and they had to count rushing statistics from a less mobile quarterback who was in his late 30s while the Bears were benefiting from Mitchell Trubisky's scrambling on their rushing totals.

In 2017, the first year Warford arrived, the Saints tied for first in the NFL in yards per rush.

When Warford came into the league in 2013 out of Kentucky he was regarded an underpublicized lineman from Kentucky and it probably contributed to his being drafted in Round 3 instead of earlier. Walterfootball.com's scouting report of him at the time hit exactly what type player he has become in the NFL.

"Powerful run blocker ... strong pass protector ... good athlete mirrors speed rushers ... quick feet ... excellent in short yardage ... pulls well," were all terms used to describe Warford and they've all been proven over seven seasons.

The one main concern they had for Warford was the need for him to maintain conditioning because he tended to bloat a bit. At the time he was coming in around 325 pounds, but Warford seven seasons later is 317 pounds and below the weight he had in college.

Finding a way to keep the ball while moving it is always critical in the NFL, and being more productive on third and fourth downs is big. The Bears were tied for 28th in fourth-down conversion percentage last year (33%) and 25th in third-down conversions (35.7%). Only two teams were worse on third down in the NFC than the Bears.

Another high-quality guard gives them more push and a shot at keeping the ball.

Much like with the Saints, the Bears' blocking scheme depends greatly on the strength of the inside trio. Tackles are not viewed as important.

So Warford would be a bigger necessity than adding a top tackle.

The big problem for the Bears with Warford would obviously be finding the money and this much would be left to the cap cutters at Halas Hall, who might need to squeeze out more money with restructuring and find a way to get Warford on a deal paying less in its first year. They may even need to cut someone.

Cordarrelle Patterson's $4.75 million comes to mind. The Bears never did figure out a way to use him last year other than kickoffs, and they've covered themselves with a few return men in Trevor Davis and Ted Ginn Jr.   Kick returners are less significant with today's kickoff rules, anyway.

The Bears are going to gain back about $2.8 million according to Overthecap.com  figures when Trey Burton's post-June 1 cap savings kick in, and could gain back a few dollars for this year with a contract extension for Allen Robinson. 

There's always Khalil Mack's monstrosity of a contract to tap into for more restructuring with prorated guaranteed money replacing 2020 salary.

It would all be worthwhile to add a lineman who has made three straight Pro Bowls, the same feat Kyle Long accomplished before his career came to an ending far too soon.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven