Today is D-Day for the Chicago Bears and Kyle Fuller

If the Kansas City Chiefs have any hope of uniting the Kendall and Kyle Fuller, it will come down to the Chicago Bears decision on Tuesday.

It is time for the Chicago Bears to make their final decision. Do they apply the franchise tag to cornerback Kyle Fuller or do they allow him to enter free agency?

It’s a major decision for the Bears who will pay the price either way, no matter which direction they decide to go. If they apply the tag, they will owe Fuller a shade under $15 million for the next season alone, nearly double what they would have owed him on the fifth year option, had Ryan Pace exercised it as the team’s general manager.

But let’s be clear: Pace had no reason to exercise that option when he could or should have. The reality is that Fuller lost his entire 2016 due to injury and, even then, was facing mental concerns that plagued him on the field (or his ability to return to the field).

However, if the Bears decide not to tag Fuller today, which reports are saying are likely to happen, then that means a significant hole in a young defense’s secondary will open up. The Bears already have plenty of work to do on offense to surround franchise quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the weapons he needs, so taking a serious step back in the team’s pass defense makes little sense.

Should Fuller be set free on the open market, it would make sense for the Chiefs to investigate what it would take to get a commitment for his services. The Chiefs traded for his younger brother, Kendall, earlier this offseason in the Alex Smith deal with the Washington Redskins, and the idea of uniting such talented brothers in the secondary would be a nice salve after losing Marcus Peters in another recent and shocking trade.

Fuller started all 16 games last year after missing the previous season due to recovery from a knee surgery. He had 68 total tackles and 22 passes defended this year.