Bears Free Agent Target: Charles Omenihu |
This free agency class offers good options for the Chicago Bears to pursue at pass rusher.
One of those options is defensive end Charles Omenihu, who has spent the past two years with the Kansas City Chiefs and will be playing on Sunday in the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills (5:30 p.m. / CBS). Having someone in Halas Hall with a Super Bowl ring would be nice. Omenihu brings ample playoff experience as the AFC Championship will mark his thirteenth postseason game since 2019. This could be an emotional game for him as he tore his ACL last year in the AFC Championship and could not return from that injury until Kansas City’s Black Friday game against the Las Vegas Raiders. His injury is the biggest concern with Omenihu. His ability is not an issue. Just three weeks after returning from his torn ACL, Omenihu recorded his first sack of the season and a forced fumble in the Chiefs’ win against the Cleveland Browns. In addition, he also recorded a sack in Kansas City’s divisional round victory against the Houston Texans, as well as a quarterback hit, tackle for loss, and forced fumble. While he has made some plays this season, 2023 may be a more accurate representation of his capabilities. He only played in 11 games since he was suspended for the first six games of 2023 but managed to record seven sacks and 11 quarterback hits in those games. In 2022, he recorded 4.5 sacks with the San Francisco 49ers. Despite his performance and importance to the Kansas City defense last year, he has not been named to a Pro Bowl. His ACL injury was so recent that it may decrease his value in free agency. However, the Chiefs were paying him $10 million. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in March and would probably want at least $10 million. To come to a team like the Bears that are rebuilding, that price may be a little higher. With Chicago’s salary cap space at nearly $70 million, they can afford to pay Omenihu a little more money to come to the Bears and improve the defensive line. Given his ability, there is no question that he would be a good addition to Chicago. The question with him is more about culture than talent. Omenihu’s suspension to begin the 2023 season appears to stem from an arrest in January 2023 for misdemeanor domestic violence. The Chicago Bears do not tolerate that behavior, which has not been a part of their culture. In fact, since 2000, there has only been one Bears player arrested while a member of the team, and that was 10 years ago, according to NFLArrest.net. According to NFLArrest.net, no one on the Bears roster has been arrested for any crime in over three years, and that is the only time he has been arrested on an NFL roster since being drafted in 2019. Establishing a cohesive culture is one of the most critical aspects when rebuilding a team. It cannot be quantified with analytics, no matter how much general manager Ryan Poles likes to use analytics. Some things are still judgment calls about the fit of a player with the organization’s culture. Also, the Bears still need a defensive coordinator. Whether they show interest in Omenihu will depend on the scheme Chicago’s new coordinator employs. Regardless, Omenihu would be a good talent to improve the defensive line and the pass rush, but the fit with the culture should be the deciding factor.
