Options for Bears after losing out on Matthew Judon |
With the preseason officially at the mid-way point and the regular season less than a month away, it is about to get real for the Chicago Bears. One of the things there are still looking to do is adding another pass rusher to pair with Montez Sweat which has been an ongoing issue all offseason.
As of last night, the Bears did see another one of their potential targets go off the board as Matthew Judon was traded to the Atlanta Falcons after there were reports that the Bears were heavily invested in him but just didn't want to give up the assets the Patriots wanted them to. Credit Ryan Poles for not being overly aggressive, but at the same time they need to address the EDGE rush position soon before it is too late. With Judon off the board, it leaves Haason Reddick as the top trade piece on the market right now, but knowing how the Jets feel about his situation, it seems highly unlikely that he will be going anywhere. You then have to look at the free agent market, where several names continue to be available, with two of them making a ton of sense for the Bears. Yannick Ngakoue was part of this team last season and was brought in on a one-year deal to be the pass rusher the Bears were lacking. Ngakoue got off to a great start last season but was slowed with a foot injury mid-way through the season, thus cutting his season short. He never had an opportunity to play with Sweat, and one can imagine how productive that duo would've been, especially with Ngakoue averaging eight-plus sacks per season by himself. Given the severity of his injury last season, many feel that is the main reason he is still unsigned, which could work in the Bears favor. The longer he remains unsigned, the cheaper he will be, and if his price gets in a range that the Bears like, don't be surprised to see him back in Chicago for a second season.
The other name that makes a ton of sense is the former Buffalo Bill and New York Jets EDGE rusher Shaq Lawson, also a free agent. Mentioned as a potential fit for the Bears earlier this offseason, Lawson remains unsigned and is coming off a rough 2023, where he picked up just two sacks in 16 games.
Compare that to his career, and you have a guy with 26 career sacks across eight years, with 6.5 being the highest mark of any of his seasons. That isn't ideal production, but for most of his career, he was being used as a role player, which would most likely be the case in Chicago. Role player or not, if he is on the field with Sweat, you have to account for him, which could lead to better-than-normal production from his end.
While those two may be the most prominent remaining names in the EDGE rushers, some smaller lesser-known names could be seen as valuable role players. Charles Harris, Tyus Bowser, and Marquis Haynes are also available EDGE rushing options that could benefit the Bears and make them better. Carl Lawson was another player mentioned as a fit for Chicago, but he just signed a multi-year deal with the Cowboys, which took him off the market.
Harris has struggled over the past two seasons, collecting just 2.5 sacks in 19 games. That was following a career-best 7.5 season in 2021 and a two-year stretch during which he accounted for 10 of his 16.5 career sacks. With his past few seasons coming as a member of the Lions, Harris is very familiar with the Bears and what they are about, so he could be a good fit at a cheap cost.
On the other hand, Bowser comes with a much more considerable risk and has not played a game since 2022 due to injury. When healthy, Bowser has shown plenty of potential as he has logged 19.5 sacks across his career. That included his career-high 7.5 in 2021 before going down with an injury in 2022 and failing to see the field in 2023. He is at the point where he would be willing to sign for anything, and if he is healthy, why not consider Chicago if they are interested?
The final free agent option for this team is Haynes, who is looking to save his career at this point. Another player coming off a horrible season where he had just one sack, Haynes has yet to record more than five sacks in a season, with a career-best five coming in 2022. He now has 14 sacks for his career, and all of those have come in a reserve role.
While you can understand why all of these guys would be an upgrade in some regard to what the Bears currently have, you should expect these guys to be kept from being brought in right now, as Austin Booker is turning heads and will continue to get looks.
He is coming off a massive showing against the Bills and, for the most part, has had a great camp. Should he continue to play well, perhaps the Bears solved their lack of a pass rush internally, as Booker could be the guy they are looking for.
