The Chicago Bears came into NFL free agency this offseason with the most cap space (by far) and a week in, they still have $8 million more room than the second-place team. With more Bears roster moves to make and money to spend, the team’s biggest need in free agency and the NFL draft right now is to improve the Bears’ pass rush next season.
The biggest need after the first week of NFL free agency is the Bears’ pass-rush
A week into NFL free agency, the Bears have already been a big player. They’ve signed players all over the field like linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, defensive tackle Andrew Billings, guard Nate Davis, tight end Robert Tonyan Jr., and running back D’Onta Foreman.
And, of course, Bears general manager Ryan Poles also made the bold move of the offseason thus far, trading the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers for a package that includes star wide receiver D.J. Moore.
That leaves offensive tackle (which the team will likely draft at No. 9) and the Bears’ pass rush as the biggest remaining areas of need. With a solid plan in place for a new tackle, Chicago’s biggest need after the first week of NFL free agency is to bulk up the Bears’ pass rush.
In 2022, the Bears were dead last in the league in sacks with just 20. And who was the leading QB sacker on the team? Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker with 4.0. That’s just embarrassing. After that, it was defensive tackle Justin Jones and defensive end Trevis Gipson with 3.0. Fourth was Roquan Smith with 2.5, and the Bears traded him after Week 8!
Heading into 2023, the Bears currently have eight DEs on the roster with Gipson,
DeMarcus Walker, Andrew Brown, Terrell Lewis, Dominique Robinson, DeMarquis Gates, Kuony Deng, and Gerri Green all signed for next season.
Walker was a good signing. He is 28 and had a career year last season with 7.0 sacks. He did that as a rotational player, though, and has never been an every-down rusher in the NFL.
When the Bears traded the top pick in the NFL draft, they could have moved back to No. 2 or No. 4. However, they took a deal with the Panthers, which moved them back to No. 9. Dropping eight spots takes them out of the Will Anderson Jr. sweepstakes and likely means they’ll take the first offensive tackle off the board (either Peter Skoronski from Northwestern or Paris Johnson Jr. from Ohio State).
Poles will have to solve the Bears’ pass-rush issues somewhere other than the first round.
One way to do this is to dip back into NFL free agency. While there are no long-term edge-rushing stars on the market (and really never were this year), there are still some solid veterans.
Jadeveon Clowney from the Cleveland Browns, Yannick Ngakoue from the Indianapolis Colts, and even former Bear Robert Quinn from the Philadelphia Eagles remain unsigned.
However, with $38 million in cap room still left, the team can take another big swing in NFL free agency to bolster the Bears roster and sign Frank Clark from the Kansas City Chiefs. Clark is still just 29 years old and brings 58.5 career sacks to the table from his eight seasons with the Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.
With the cap room Chicago has and the horrific state of the Bears’ pass rush, it wouldn’t be shocking if the team even signed two of the top DE veterans remaining on the market.
The GM also has to address this position in the draft, though. And with OT the likely first-round pick, the Bears will have to wait until Round 2 to get a QB chaser. With pick No. 54, the franchise should really address the Bears' pass rush. The team also has pick No. 61 in the second round and pick No. 64 in the third round to address this need.
If that’s where Poles decides to take an edge rusher, there should be several good ones available. Auburn DE Derick Hall leads that list, and others like BJ Ojulari from LSU, Tua Tulipuotu from USC, Isaiah Foskey from Notre Dame, and KJ Henry from Clemson should be available.
Drafting one of these players with the potential to become double-digit sack players in the NFL will be a smart move to bolster the Bears’ roster on the edge. And now, with DeMarcus Walker, Frank Clark, and Derick Hall in the mix, the Bears’ pass rush goes from a massive point of weakness to a point of strength for the upcoming season.
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