The Chicago Bears are likely out of the wide receiver market with D.J. Moore in town. That means GM Ryan Poles can narrow his focus to other positions going into free agency. Recent rumors have suggested he will try to move fast on the right tackle market. That is hardly a surprise. The position was a massive liability for the Bears last season. Larry Borom and Riley Reiff both failed to stabilize it. Outside of that, it feels like a foregone conclusion that Chicago will take a swing on a defensive tackle.
Interior pass rush was nonexistent for the Bears’ defense in 2022. It was a tough blow when the Larry Ogunjobi signing fell through. They likely will try again, especially with a weak draft at the position. Javon Hargrave appears to be somebody they’re doing lots of work on. Now another name is gaining traction. Benjamin Allbright is one of the top insiders in the business. He primarily covers the Denver Broncos and has a notable update on pending free agent Dre’Mont Jones.
The Chicago Bears have the advantage in the Jones chase.
That is to say, they have more money to offer than anybody else. With Da’Ron Payne off the table, most see Jones as the best interior pass rusher in this free agent class. That is debatable with Hargrave out there, but the critical difference is Jones being four years younger. A rebuilding team like the Bears would likely prefer him for that reason, even if it might be slightly more expensive. There is no denying the guy can play. He’s notched at least five sacks in each of the past three seasons.
This was despite playing in a defensive scheme that never fully utilized his talents. That would change with the Chicago Bears. Their system is a one-gap scheme meant to attack up the field. Jones has the quickness and burst made for the three-technique spot. It will come down to whether the Bears meet his price and if they can recruit him to Chicago. That won’t be easy after the nightmare he endured in Denver. Poles and Eberflus’ pitch will have to be a strong one.
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Jones was an interesting player until he completely overestimated himself and started asking for a price in the same range as Payne, Allen, Hargrave. He is, simply, not that good, As for the repeated claim that he is in the wrong system, nonsense. Of the 4 players noted above he is not only the smallest but THE SLOWEST (check their RAS info) These three have all outperformed Jones as pass rushers when playing NOSE and then blow him away when moved to 3tech. Dre’mont will likely play better than anyone the Bears have now but he is not going to… Read more »
BearsFan4Life….. they aren’t trading Mooney. The goal is to build JF1 weapons not add 1 and then trade another away. Plus Mooney wouldn’t get a high 2nd rounder coming off an injury with 1 year left on his contract. That’s way too high for a 1 year rental on a guy that was having his worst season and it got cut short from injury. Plus that would be really bad Juju. Mooney is Justin’s best bud and he’s the ultimate team player. We need more weapons this year not less. JSN isn’t a given either and by trading Mooney for… Read more »
Martin, Carter isn’t a Nose Tackle. He’s a 3 Tech or Teams in a 3-4 might even play him at 5 Tech. He’s definitely not a 1 Tech however and there also aren’t many DL in college or the NFL with a quicker take off…… which is also needed from the 3 Tech. It would be malpractice to bring in Carter and play him at Nose Tackle.
“This was despite playing in a defensive scheme that never fully utilized his talents. That would change with the Chicago Bears. Their system is a one-gap scheme meant to attack up the field. Jones has the quickness and burst made for the three-technique spot.”
We heard the same thing about Justin Jones last year at this time, after the Ogunjobi fiasco. Maybe it’s the defensive line coach that’s the problem? Or, defensive coordinator, Williams, who I’m also not a fan of?
I know what they’re thinking……about money!