For the first time in a long time, the Chicago Bears are in first place in the NFL. Not in record, mind you, but in salary cap space heading into the 2023 NFL offseason. The Bears' offseason starts with over $97 million in cap space, nearly $40 million more than the second-place New England Patriots. This means the team can do pretty much whatever it wants when it comes to Bears free agents, including signing some of the biggest names on the market, like New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley.

Saquon Barkley, RB

When you have nearly $100 million in cap room, you can afford to splurge on a luxury item or two. A high-end running back is a luxury item most NFL teams shouldn’t break the bank for. But when you are the Bears and have a need to get better quickly and money to burn, why not?

Having a dynamic RB like Barkley would take a ton of pressure off of Justin Fields. It would also allow offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to get even more creative with the running game by using Fields and Barkley together.

Now is the time do to this with the Bears' offseason cap space. The franchise shouldn’t have to start tightening its financial belt until the time a three-year, $15 million per year Saquon Barkley contract is over.

Jawaan Taylor, RT

The Bears offensive line seemed like a major problem heading into last season, but it held up better than most thought. Still, there are issues on the unit that need to be addressed before it is a playoff-caliber group.

Second-year player Teven Jenkins (RG) and rookie Braxton Jones (LT) had good seasons, but RT, C, and LG can be upgraded. A good start to that is with a Bears free-agent acquisition of Jacksonville Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor.

Taylor is only 25, and he hasn’t missed a start since entering the league in 2019. Adding him to the mix with Jenkins and Jones in place is a great start. After that, general manager Ryan Poles — a former NFL offensive lineman himself — can continue building later in the draft, which he’s done a good job of so far.

Yannick Ngakoue, DE

The Bears gave up the most points in the NFL last season (463) and the fourth-most yards (6,390). A lot of that is because the team had the fewest sacks in the league, with just 20 on the season.

All this means the Bears' offseason has to consist of a complete re-do of the defensive line. This rebuild will likely include drafting either Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter or Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. at the top of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Yannick Ngakoue will be 28 after the NFL offseason, and the veteran pass-rusher has contributed 8.0 or more sacks every season of his seven-year career. He is a productive player and a veteran who a highly-touted rookie can look up to and learn from.

David Onyemata, DT

The same situation of playing next to a top-five defensive lineman applies to David Onyemata. He is an excellent player in his own right and will likely see even more opportunities playing alongside a top pick like Carter or Anderson.

Onyemata turned 30 in November, but he is still a productive player who made 5.0 sacks last season and a career-high 25 solo tackles. He’s solid against the run and the pass and is a player the Saints would love to keep this NFL offseason if their salary cap wasn’t the worst in the league.

If the Bears' free-agent signings this offseason could include Ngakoue and Onyemata in addition to a top pick on the unit, the Bears D-line would quickly go from one of the worst in the league to one of the best.

Teddy Bridgewater, QB

The last of the sneaky Bears free agents to sign this NFL offseason is veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Chicago has a tough needle to thread here. The team needs a backup QB who can come in and potentially win games if Justin Fields misses time, as he likely will as a running quarterback.

However, the organization doesn’t want a young, promising QB behind him who the fans and media would clamor for if the going gets tough.

That’s why Bridgewater is perfect. He is a solid NFL QB who can win games in the league. At 30, though, he is what he is, and no one thinks he is a full-time starting signal-caller of the future for a team. Also, his veteran presence in the QB meeting room should help Fields’ development.