Montez Sweat has really put the Chicago Bears in a bad spot with his PED suspension. Not only will they not have him against two of the league’s hottest offenses over the next two weeks, but they may also have lost Dayo Odeyingbo to a quad injury. Suddenly, Austin Booker is their only proven edge rusher on the roster. Shemar Turner, Daniel Hardy, Jamree Kromah, and James Lynch are their only other options. That feels like a disaster waiting to happen.
This begs the question.
Could the Bears look for emergency help? The free agency market is obviously barren this time of year, filled mostly with has-beens or career backups. However, unless they’re willing to be aggressive on the trade market, it’s their only avenue. Here are some names that might be worth the risk of looking into.
Losing Montez Sweat leaves the Bears with mostly spent options.
Denico Autry
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If you’re looking for somebody dependable who fits defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, then Autry is the guy. The 36-year-old was one of the steadier defensive linemen in the NFL for nearly a decade. Consistently underrated. He actually broke into the NFL under Allen in 2014 when he was head coach of the Oakland Raiders. So the two know each other. Autry’s 6’5″, 285 lbs frame certainly fits the profile. He should be well-rested and healthy. Is he up for one more season?
Haason Reddick
For a four-year stretch between 2020 and 2023, the two-time Pro Bowler was nearly unblockable. Incredibly electric coming off the edge. However, the past two seasons saw him hampered by injuries. At age 32, it’s unclear how much gas he has left in the tank, if any. There is also the question of fit. Allen prefers bigger defensive ends. At 6’1″ and 240 lbs, Reddick is not that. He is a pure situational pass rusher.
Leonard Floyd
How ironic would this be? The Bears let Floyd go years ago because they felt his production didn’t match his draft status. He signs on in L.A. and immediately becomes a double-digit sack guy, winning a Super Bowl. He was still productive last season with Atlanta, notching 3.5 sacks and 11 QB hits. Could he return to the team that drafted them to help them fill the Montez Sweat void in their time of need? It would be a pretty cool story.
Azeez Ojulari
Like Reddick, Ojulari is on the smaller side for an edge defender. So his fit with Allen will be questionable. That said, he’s shown flashes in the past of being a pretty solid pass rusher. He had 8 sacks as a rookie and 6 with the Giants in 2024. Last season was cut short by injuries. Since then, he’s been sitting quietly on the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad. Plucking him would be pretty easy.
Emmanuel Ogbah
Another of those classic NFL journeymen who seems to always produce wherever he goes. Between 2019 and 2024, Ogbah had at least 5 sacks in all but one of those seasons. He isn’t flashy, but he does his job more often than not. Last season can’t be held against him since his opportunities were limited on a loaded Jacksonville Jaguars front. At age 32, he might have one more run in him.
