Another year, another tough season for the Chicago Bears. They ended the campaign with a mediocre 6-11 record and promptly fired head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. This is obviously a crucial offseason for a franchise that just upended its coaching staff and front office.
With that said, here are three players the Bears must re-sign in the 2022 NFL free agency.
Bears 2022 NFL Free Agency
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3. Germain Ifedi – Offensive tackle
The Bears' offensive line was one of, if not the worst in the NFL last season. Letting go of Ifedi won't spur any sort of improvement.
Ifedi only played seven games last season at right tackle and was uninspiring at best in his starts. Unfortunately, quality offensive linemen are nearly impossible to come across in free agency, and the Bears don't have a premium pick in this year's draft. Letting Ifedi walk would almost guarantee that the right tackle position gets worse or stays the same.
Retaining Ifedi also gives the Bears some versatility across the offensive line. The Texas A&M product entered the league as a guard and started several seasons at that position. Chicago was racked with injuries all along the line last season, so Ifedi's ability to play four out of five positions is a huge plus. He won't be any better than average, but the Bears should be happy to settle for average at the position.
2. Bilal Nichols – Defensive end
Nichols, a former fifth round pick, has quietly turned into one of the Bears' most promising young players. The defensive end amassed 51 tackles, three sacks, and nine quarterback hits throughout the 2021 campaign. Nichols is also only 25 years old, meaning he has plenty of room to grow as a player. He's already proven himself to be a valuable member of the Bears' defensive line and he'll only get better.
Besides, it's time for the Bears to spend some money to retain their homegrown talent. Chicago may have to decide between Nichols and fellow defensive tackle Akiem Hicks this offseason, and the choice is obvious. Hicks is still a great player but it's likely that his best days as a player are behind him. The Bears are nowhere near ready to contend for anything, so bringing back Hicks on a deal longer than a year doesn't make much sense.
Nichols has a higher ceiling and will likely cost a little bit less while also giving Chicago a great building block on the defensive line.
1. James Daniels – Guard
Everything said about Ifedi can be applied to Daniels. The major difference is that Daniels is a far more effective player than Ifedi. The Iowa product has started games at guard and center for the Bears, and he's been one of their best offensive linemen at either position.
Daniels will be one of the best linemen on the open market if the Bears allow him to walk. The squad should be willing to pay Daniels whatever he wants, provided that it's within reason.
As previously mentioned, the Bears were one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last season. It's notoriously difficult for quality offensive linemen to reach the open market, meaning that the Bears probably won't find an upgrade over Daniels in free agency. They also don't have a first round pick, which crushes their chances of finding a Day 1 starter in the draft. All in all, Daniels leaving in free agency would be a complete disaster for the Bears.
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