Bears should pursue Tee Higgins, Bryce Huff this offseason |
It's no secret that the Bears have a lot of areas they need to address this coming offseason. Some areas will be taken care of during draft weekend, some may happen through trades, but most importantly, most of those will occur during the free agency period.
You saw a similar situation last year where the Bears entered the offseason with a ton of money at their disposal and used a large chunk of that money to beef up the defense. They will again have a ton of money to spend this offseason, but after locking up Montez Sweat during the season, some of their overall funds are no longer available. That shouldn't make a difference, as the Bears have the money to be aggressive enough to make plenty of moves in an effort to improve this team. While adding to the defense is still an essential piece to the puzzle, this year's focus should be on the offensive side of the ball, as they need to surround Justin Fields and or Caleb Williams with as many weapons as possible. WR Tee Higgins is one player to keep an eye on as the offseason unfolds, as he has been linked to the Bears for the better part of two offseasons. Say what you want about Higgins and some of his injury issues of the past, the bottom line is that he is a great WR and would make an excellent combo with DJ Moore. You add Marvin Harrison Jr or Rome Odunze in the draft, and the Bears will have three legitimate WR threats on offense, which is something this team hasn't had since the Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey days. Since breaking into the league in 2020, Higgins has been as good as advertised as he averaged 71 receptions and 1034 yards across his first three seasons while scoring six touchdowns or more each season. Then came the 2023 showing, where Higgins was in and out of the lineup with a lingering ankle issue and went on to have his worst season to date, as he finished the year with 42 receptions for 656 yards and five scores. He is expected to be one of the highest-paid receivers in this year's free agent class, Higgins may come with a hefty price tag, but adding him to your offense will instantly make you better. Not only would they add one of the best young receivers in the league, but it would also give the Bears the flexibility to use their draft picks to add blue-chip talent at other positions of need. The duo of Moore and Higgins would not only be one of the better duos in the league, but both play constrasting styles. Moore is more of a gadget type of player who can do many things well, while Higgins loves to use his 6-4 frame to go after jump balls and stretch the field. These two would make preparing for the Bears a nightmare.
While adding to the offense is expected to be the Bears top priority, you can't overlook the defense which became a top 10 unit this season. Why not look at a guy like Bryce Huff to pair with Sweat and potentially take this defense over the top? With Yannick Ngakoue injured the final eight weeks of the season and on the verge of hitting the open market, the Bears only have one legitimate pass rusher in Sweat, so Huff makes a ton of sense.
In a contract season, Huff couldn't have timed his career-best year more perfectly. The former undrafted free agent notched ten sacks, 21 QB hits, and 33 pressures on 42% of the team's defensive snaps. Those were all career-high numbers for a Jets defense that was solid for the most part and brings into question how good Huff can be.
The 25-year-old is the definition of a pass-rush specialist and has a ridiculous 23.1% pass-rush win rate and 90.1 pass-rush win rate. While those numbers are exceptional, Huff does struggle to stop the run, which is why his playing time was a bit limited during his time with the Jets. He will be forced to improve that aspect of his game in Chicago, as the Bears will need him to be better than he has been.
With most of the attention expected to be on Sweat next season, the Bears must figure out a way to generate pressure. Adding Huff would be the perfect way to do that, as his addition would prevent teams from focusing solely on Sweat and could open things up for the rest of the Bears defense.
