Free Agent Breakdown: Bears Sign Safety Ryan Mundy
By Adam Hoge-
What happened: The Bears signed Ryan Mundy, a 29-year-old safety who previously played for the New York Giants, to a two-year contract. Mundy had 77 tackles in 16 games last season, but only started nine games because he was passed up by Will Hill. He has two career interceptions. With Hill emerging in New York, it never seemed likely that he would return to the Giants.
How it affects the Bears' salary cap: It's unclear how much Mundy signed for, but he wasn't a top-tier free agent and shouldn't have been too expensive.
How Mundy fits the system: Mundy is a fit in the Bears defense because he can play safety. It's not really more complicated than that. What's interesting is that he has experience at both free and strong safety, so do the Bears plan on him starting at strong safety or do they just want him competing with Chris Conte at free?. Mundy is far from a Pro Bowler, but right now the only expectation is to be better than what the Bears had at the position last season.
What's ahead: The Bears still need another safety and cornerback.
How this affects the Bears' NFL Draft plan: Mundy is not a high-impact safety and the Bears could still use help at the position. The pass-rush remains the No. 1 priority, but an early-round draft pick used on a safety would make a lot of sense.
Adam Hoge covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.