The Chicago Bears have gone silent with roster moves following the end of undrafted free agency. Some may take this as a signal that they are content with its construction and have begun preparing for the upcoming season. That is not entirely the case. Right now, GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus aim to use the months of May and June for roster evaluation. They want to see where every position group is at, both in terms of talent level and readiness. After getting that information, the two will reach an informed decision on what to do next.
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler gave an update on the Bears’ situation. From what he’s gathered, there is one position that the organization feels isn’t quite settled yet. That is edge rusher. This isn’t a big surprise. Outside of 5th round pick Austin Booker, the team didn’t make any notable moves in that area. It has left many concerned about the lack of a #2 option across from Montez Sweat. Fowler said on NFL Live that it is likely the team will wait to see how the market settles over the next month or two before adding somebody before training camp.
The Chicago Bears did the same thing last year.
Many were concerned about the edge rusher spot going into the summer. Then, right before camp, they signed veteran Yannick Ngakoue on a one-year deal. They may take the same approach. Ngakoue is still available and reportedly healthy after breaking his ankle last season. Other options include Emmanuel Ogbah, who had back-to-back 9-sack seasons in 2020 and 2021. An injury sidelined him in 2022 before he rebounded last year with 5.5 sacks. Carl Lawson is also available. He had seven sacks in 2022 before missing most of last year with injuries.
They could also consider Romeo Okwara, Markus Golden, Justin Houston, and Tyus Bowser. All have productive track records but are also on the older side. Some have iffy injury histories. It comes down to which one the Chicago Bears think fits their defensive style and can offer a legitimate threat opposite Sweat. One thing worth noting is Houston actually played under Eberflus in Indianapolis for two years. Much depends on his health. He missed most of last season but did have 9.5 sacks the year prior.
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Well, we’ll have to wait until after cuts are made to decide whether this was a good decision or not. If they get a decent player on the cheap, it’s genius. If they get another Ngakoue, it’s silly. There really isn’t much of a middle ground, because we need another pass rusher in order to take advantage of a roster that is still in decent cap shape, and has a soft(ish) schedule. So how this turns out will give us a useful insight into this front office’s ability to predict what guys will be available at the end of the… Read more »
Why are these comments so toxic? Lol
Is this anything more than a list of available edge rushers? The Bears probably would like to assess what they have, and how their coaches feel about the guys the have. As opposed to some guy from ESPN, volunteering to spend a few million here, a few million there, and then criticize them for not getting “the right” guys.
Of course……. This isn’t ground breaking news. There’s plenty of time and cuts ahead to add good players to this roster.
As I said months ago, there will likely be no suitable substitute for losing DE Hunter to the Texans, particularly if the Bears are driving for the Superbowl.