The Chicago Bears want to build through the draft. That hasn’t changed. However, GM Ryan Poles knows his team can’t improve quickly if that is his sole focus. He must dabble in free agency this off-season. Holding over $100 million in cap space should make that easy. The question becomes which players he may or may not target. Initial projections suggest he will focus on the trenches. Top offensive and defensive linemen will be prioritized. Wide receivers and cornerbacks also figure to get looks. It comes down to being smart with spending.
There is no shortage of options that will be available come March 15th. Everybody has their opinion on who the Bears will go after the hardest. Pro Football Focus took their crack at it. Unsurprisingly, they stayed close to the widespread belief it would be a lineman of some kind. Where it gets interesting is who they chose. It wasn’t the hot names like Da’Ron Payne, Dre’Mont Jones, Yannick Ngakoue, Jawaan Taylor, or Kaleb McGary.
Instead, they went with somebody the Bears have greater familiarity with.
“DI DALVIN TOMLINSON
Best fit: Chicago Bears
The Bears’ defensive line needs significant help, and adding a player like Tomlinson who has had success as both a pass rusher and a run defender in his career is a strong place to start. Chicago ranked 31st in run-defense grade (34.9) and 32nd in pass-rush grade (52.2) in 2022, and with just over $100 million in cap space to utilize, the defensive line should be considered a unit to significantly upgrade.
Tomlinson has seen his career run-defense grades slowly decline over the past few years but at the same time reached a new career high in pass-rush grade (79.1) and total pressures (29) in 2022 despite missing three games. However, even as his run-defense grades slightly declined, he has made a significant impact with 36 tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage against the run, which is the sixth most at his position over the past four seasons.”
Tomlinson would be an interesting one for the Chicago Bears.
On the one hand, he’ll be 29 years old this season. Players at his position start losing steam around their early 30s. So there is no telling how much longer he’ll be effective. That said, he is a proven player that can handle the nose tackle job in a 4-3 defense while also providing some pass rush juice. His 20 pressures and seven quarterback hits were both career highs despite missing four games. Most important will be the price. Tomlinson won’t command nearly the same money as Payne or Jones. He fits the bill if the Bears are looking for a reasonable bargain.
If nothing else, he’d be a great short-term rotational option with starting experience that can solidify the depth up front. It isn’t the flashy move Chicago Bears fans would want, but it would fit with what Poles intends to do. Find smart purchases in free agency and build your core through the draft. Maybe a rotation of Tomlinson, Justin Jones, and Jalen Carter would look pretty good next season. There are other possibilities. It depends on how aggressive the Bears are willing to be.
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