LAKE FOREST, Illinois — The fact that the Chicago Bears walked away from the NFL Draft without addressing the void at the rushing edge was not lost on General Manager Ryan Pauls.
Throughout the offseason, Pole maintained his stance that the Bears’ roster would feature several holeshots. The pass rush that pressured 22% of dropouts last season (second worst in the league) still needs a lot of work with fewer viable options available than before the draft and free agency.
“I think you want to fix everything right away, but it has to work the right way,” Paul said. “The right players have to be there to fit our scheme. We can’t fix everything at a high level in one fell swoop.”
Chicago spent three of its ten draft picks on defensive tackle Jervon Dexter, Zack Pickens and Travis Bell. The Bears had their chances on the rush, particularly on Day 3 after coming back from first place in the fourth, but they used the 115th pick on running back Roshawn Johnson when Northwestern’s defense finished off Adetomiwa Adebawore, a Top 50 prospect. According to ESPN draft analyst Mel Kipper Jr., they would have stayed had they stayed at No. 103. Two of the best non-development agent edge rushers, Andre Carter II and Lonnie Phelps, signed elsewhere.
The Poles said the Bears wanted to get “younger, more athletic and faster” along the defensive line, which led to the inside rush being prioritized on the draft.
“I would say our quarterbacks now are — for the most part — they’re not that big, they’re not that tall, so their sight lines are a little bit lower than they used to be,” said coach Matt Eberfels. “So I really think when you’ve got a guy who can hack the inside of the pocket, I really think the pressure is felt right away because they’re closer to the middle. And I think it liberates guys, gives them a face-to-face on the outside when you’ve got two guys out there who can really do that.”
Travis Gibson and Dominic Robinson are the only defensive ends back from last year’s set. Chicago got 7.5 sacks from its defensemen (second fewest in the NFL). There were 27 individuals on the defensive line with more than seven sacks last year.
While the Poles aren’t panicking about the current state of the Bears’ pass rushing, it’s clear that Chicago can’t go into the 2023 season without finding some help in the rushing edge.
“We’re going to be opportunists,” said GM. “If that opportunity doesn’t open up, we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing, but there’s also drafts next year, and we’ve prepared ourselves well for that as well (with first-round picks).”
Free proxies
Two months earlier in NFL meetings, Eberfels had contemplated the idea of signing the Bears to a rushing edger after the draft. With roughly $36.7 million in salary cap space remaining, the Bears can fill that void with a few options.
Leonard Floyd, who spent the first four years of his career in Chicago and the last three with the Los Angeles Rams, is at the top of the list of running backs on the brink. Floyd recorded a career-high nine sacks and a career-high 22 quarterback hits in 2022. Floyd has racked up 29 sacks over the past three seasons with the Rams, and has also started every game in the past five years.
Yannick Ngakwe is going through a 9.5 sacks season with the Indianapolis Colts and has recorded at least eight sacks in each of his seven seasons. At just 28 years old he is the youngest of the best pass forwards available, a roster that also includes Frank Clarke, Jadevon Clooney, Justin Houston and Tree Flowers.
The Poles are familiar with Clark and Houston from his time in the Kansas City front office. Houston is coming off his best season since 2019 with 9.5 sacks and an interception with the Baltimore Ravens. Clark brought the 56ers pressure at quarterback last season, but his concerns off the field, including a two-game suspension last season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, raise questions about whether the Bears would consider signing him. The Poles indicated that “character” will always be a part of Chicago’s assessment of players when asked why the Bears passed Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter in the draft after Carter had his own issues off the field.
Clooney’s production waned in Cleveland in 2022, and signs of discontent with his role appeared at the end of the season when he refused to play in non-third games in a December game against Baltimore. He said it was because of the injury, but Clooney was upset with how he used it. Injuries were a concern for Clooney, who fell short of 500 shots played for the second time in three seasons. However, his ability as a solid selector and bold defender could provide an intriguing and affordable option for the Bears.
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The Washington Chiefs decided not to pick fifth-year option defensive end Chase Young last week. Young burst onto the scene as a junior in 2020 with 7.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl bid, but his past two seasons have been marred by a knee injury (he played a total of 12 games in 2021-22) and a lack of production.
The best time for Washington to trade the former No. 2 overall pick was before or during the draft, so the captains could use the draft capital to build their roster. For a team on the receiving end of Young’s deal, striking a deal before May 2 (the deadline to extend or decline fifth-year options) was also a relevant factor.
Washington’s asking price was probably too steep given how the recruitment looked and didn’t move.
In the case of Chicago, holding on to the highest draft pick in 2024 is crucial in case the Bears need to make a quarterback change after Justin Fields’ third season. Having two first-round picks next season after trading the No. 1 overall pick this year would allow the Carolina Bears to make a move of this caliber. The Poles are unlikely to use his best draft tackle on a seriously injured player with questions over whether Young can return to his rookie form.
There’s also the idea that the New York Jets could be looking to part with defensive end Carl Lawson, who is in the final year of his contract and has a $15.7 million cap in 2023. Lawson had seven sacks and 24 quarterback hits last season, but the Jets have a number Great tip rush. New York may be looking to save money by releasing Lawson this spring or trying to trade him.
Under the radar extras
A day before training camp begins in 2022, the Bears have signed veteran offensive linemen Riley Rev and Michael Schofield III. Reiff ended up at right tackle position from Week 8 through the end of the season, while Schofield played 415 snaps between left and right guard with five starts.
The Bears also claimed offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood off waivers after the Raiders released a former first-rounder amid roster cuts.
While none of these examples provide long-term answers, short-term fixes with Reiff and Schofield got the Bears offensive line through the 2022 season. If Chicago doesn’t find a defensive end in the next couple of months, these kinds of moves could be closer to camp. training.