The Chicago Bears stepped away from Halas Hall for the next few weeks for summer break. Coaches will make final preparations for training camp. Players will rest their minds and prepare their bodies for the grind to come. There is much work to do if this team wants to build on what it accomplished last season. Part of that could involve one more roster move before camp proper begins. If you polled most Bears fans on what position they hope to see addressed, they would say pass rusher. That is where Joey Bosa comes in.
A former Pro Bowl star for the Chargers, the defensive end spent last season with the Buffalo Bills, helping them reach the divisional round of the playoffs. Now he is a free agent. No team has brought him aboard yet. Some wondered if he might try to join his brother Nick in San Francisco, but that never materialized. ESPN has stepped in, urging the Bears to make the call. While he isn’t the player he was several years ago, he still gives them such depth and insurance at a premium position.
Sign edge rusher Joey Bosa
You’re going to notice a trend in the NFC North, where all four teams could probably use another veteran pass rusher. The Bears got 4.5 sacks out of Austin Booker in 10 games last season, but Dayo Odeyingbo was disappointing with just a single sack in eight games after signing a big contract to come over from Indianapolis.
Bosa had a 12.2% pass rush win rate last season, 26th among qualifying edge rushers, to go along with five sacks for Buffalo. He has played most of his career with his hand on the ground, so he’s probably the best fit for Chicago’s 4-3 base out of the top three available veteran pass rushers.
It’s hard to justify this move.
Bosa was a great player at one point in his career. Probably one of the four or five most dominant pass rushers in the league. Unfortunately, age and injuries have sapped his once dynamic ability. He’s not as explosive as he once was. While still crafty with his moves and plenty strong, it was evident he couldn’t win as often as he used to. If the Bears were to sign him, it would be as a rotational backup behind Montez Sweat and Austin Booker. Would he accept that? Probably not.
Besides, the Bears won’t want to pay his fee. Veteran pass rushers, even those past their prime, can still cost a decent amount of money. Buffalo gave him $12.6 million last season. Chicago doesn’t have anywhere near the cap space to offer something like that. They’d have to restructure other contracts to make it work. Bosa isn’t a good enough player at this stage to justify it.
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Ask the simple question. Does signing Joey Bosa make the Bears Super Bowl favorites? If the answer is no (and it is), then this move isn’t worth it.
Price point will determine this.
If Bosa aims for another nice payday like last year, he won’t find it from Chicago. On the other hand, if he’s just interested in playing and will lower the amount to something reasonable, it might be worth it. Even in his current form, Bosa can be a solid third rusher behind Sweat and Booker. He could also help Shemar Turner continue developing once he returns from his knee injury. Outside of that scenario, the Bears are likely to maintain the status quo at edge rusher for this season.
Maybe they decide to get aggressive at the trade deadline if they’re playing well. Otherwise, they may content themselves with a minor move to add some depth. Somebody who won’t cost anything close to what Joey Bosa would. The unfortunate truth is the team is past the point where they can think about a big name on the free agent market. Cam Jordan was probably the last one who would’ve made sense. Now he’s going back to New Orleans. Chicago will sink or swim with who they have.
