The Bears took a risk when they traded for wide receiver Brandon Marshall while the outcome of his alleged involvement in a nightclub fight was still up in the air.
It paid off for them when Marshall avoided any charges related to the incident, removing the chance that he’d be suspended for some portion of the 2012 season. Marshall’s history still has its rough patches, though, and he’s had moments of disruptive behavior with both the Broncos and the Dolphins. So there’s still some risk to the move that Bears General Manager Phil Emery made shortly after taking over the job.
Peter King spoke to Bears General Manager Phil Emery for his Monday Morning Quarterback column and found out why Emery took that risk. Emery spoke generally about finding players with the highest ceilings and then specifically about Marshall.
“People have the capacity to change,’' Emery said. “He’s an intelligent guy, and he’s accepted his faults, and he’s working toward improving them. I thought about it a lot. Isn’t that what we’d want out of our children? They might stumble, but when they do, they seriously try to improve their lives. We felt if there was a place Brandon would fit, it was here.”
If that proves true, one of Emery’s first big moves with the Bears will be a big success.