Things always tend to happen once training camp arrives. Teams take stock of their rosters and decide to make one or two tweaks via free agency. The Chicago Bears are no strangers to this. They’ve done it every year under GM Ryan Poles. This time is no different. Reports came out that the Bears have added not one but two notable veterans to their defense on the day of reporting to Halas Hall. One is cornerback Tre Flowers, a former 5th round pick who has been in the league for nine seasons, collecting four interceptions. The other is Tanoh Kpassagnon, the former Kansas City Chiefs 2nd round pick who spent the past four seasons in New Orleans playing for Dennis Allen.
It isn’t hard to see the reasoning behind these moves. Jaylon Johnson will miss a couple of weeks with a leg injury he suffered while training. Austin Booker also needs some competition at edge rusher. Depth at edge rusher and cornerback is crucial, especially in Allen’s scheme. Kpassagnon was never a great player, but he had some solid seasons in this defense. His best came in 2023, where he finished with 34 pressures and four sacks. Such players can be valuable in a rotation.
The Chicago Bears now have more competition.
That has been the goal from the beginning. Allen wants to push everybody on the depth chart. His job is to get the best 11 players on the field. That can only be done when everybody is forced to confront at least the smallest chance of not starting or getting a roster spot. Flowers and Kpassagnon might not be stars, but they’ve been around the NFL for a long time. That doesn’t happen unless you know what you’re doing. They should dial up the intensity a little bit for the Chicago Bears. Whether they make the roster will depend on how others respond to their challenge. It should be a fun next month.
