The Bears’ pass rush has been problematic for general manager Ryan Poles throughout his tenure, and they won’t be a serious threat until he fixes it.
The entire sport comes down to having great quarterback play and preventing great quarterback play. The Bears are optimistic they’re going to solve the first part of that equation with Caleb Williams, but the other half of it continues to elude them as they’ve had the second-fewest sacks over the last four seasons.
Free agency opens Monday, again presenting Poles a chance to get this absolute necessity right.
Former Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is the best available, and while there are concerns about him coming off core muscle surgery at 31, he made four consecutive Pro Bowls had 57 sacks from 2021 through ’24 before the injury derailed him last season.
The others at the top of the market are Jaelan Phillips, who had 8 1/2 sacks as a rookie in 2021 but hasn’t reached that number since, and Odafe Oweh, who totaled 17 1/2 over the past two seasons.
The next tier includes Boye Mafe (Seahawks), Kwity Paye (Colts), K’Lavon Chaisson (Patriots), A.J. Epenesa (Bills) and Joseph Ossai (Bengals). All of them have had their moments, but the Bears would be betting on upside in those cases.
Then there are the veterans out to prove they’re not done. Former Bears star Khalil Mack is in that category, but is off the market after agreeing to a one-year, $18 million deal Saturday to stay with the Chargers.
Defensive ends have more longevity than most positions, so teams won’t rush to write off Cameron Jordan (36), Joey Bosa (30), Bradley Chubb (29) or Haason Reddick (31). One of them could be an option on an expensive, but short-term deal.
Jordan, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection who had 10 1/2 sacks last season, played 10 seasons under Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in New Orleans.
However the Bears go about it, pass rusher is a premium position that requires premium resources. Poles hasn’t taken many big swings at it, and when he has, they haven’t worked out as he projected.
Trading for Montez Sweat and extending him on a four-year, $98 million deal was by far Poles’ splashiest acquisition, and while Sweat has been good, he has yet to be great. He is 18th in sacks since then with 21 1/2.
Poles paid for potential when signing Dayo Odeyingbo to a three-year, $48 million contract a year ago, but he had one sack in eight games before tearing his Achilles. Similarly, he invested a second-round pick in Shemar Turner only for him tear his ACL halfway through his rookie season.
Other than Sweat, Odeyingbo and Turner, Poles has tried to find answers among later-round draft picks and modestly priced free agents. Players like DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson and Austin Booker, though, haven’t been game-changers.
Turner, Odeyingbo and Booker would compete to start opposite Sweat if the Bears don’t add someone significant in free agency or the draft. OverTheCap projects them to have $26.6 million in salary-cap space — that could grow with some contract restructuring — and they have the Nos. 25, 57 and 60 overall draft picks.
The Bears have several other pressing needs, but this should come first.
When coach Ben Johnson thought recently about the reigning champion Seahawks and what his team could glean from them, he quickly pointed to their ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks without blitzing. The Seahawks, Broncos and Rams, all of which reached the conference title game or beyond, were top-six in pressure rate last season.
And while the overarching story of this season will be Williams’ development, straightening out the defense would help that, too. The Bears don’t want him in a position in which he has to keep winning shootouts and rallying late. Putting some power in their pass rush would help across the board.