Windy City Gridiron
As the Chicago Bears kick off their final three-week stretch of their offseason program, this is the time to review the roster, and identify upgradable areas. Following the draft, there are still areas for the Bears to stay advantageous.
Offseasons have rarely had dull moments for the Chicago Bears over the last decade-plus. Unfortunately for fans, that’s common for teams that consistently finish the season with a losing record. General manager Ryan Poles and first-year head coach Ben Johnson want to ensure the offseason is no longer more exciting than the regular season.
After years of the same issues in the trenches, this new regime has addressed them head-on. It started in free agency when they completely reconfigured the interior of their offensive line with the acquisitions of Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson. Even new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen got a pair of veteran defensive linemen in Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett.
Because of their aggressive approach in free agency, they were able to adopt a more “Best Player Available” approach in the draft. That led to more unconventional results during the draft process, but it’s hard to argue against the talent Chicago added. Even so, the Bears were a 5-12 team in 2024 and have won a total of 15 games over the past three years. Talent is needed, and it’s nearly impossible for any team to fill many needs in one offseason.
The message at Halas Hall has been clear from Day 1. This is a team that is ready and expecting to win now. Let’s dive deeper into their three biggest remaining holes heading into their month-long offseason program, and a few potential free agent solutions.
Going into the draft, it felt like edge rusher was this team’s most significant remaining need. Coming out of the draft, I’m not sure anything has changed, unless they plan on having Shemar Turner lose 10-15 pounds and using him off the edge. Assuming Turner stays on the interior and plays *some* off the edge, the first reserve off the bench in any defensive end rotation will be Austin Booker. While there’s nothing wrong with having hope that Booker can make a leap in Year 2, banking on that would be risky.
Behind Booker, the depth chart looks even more bleak with Daniel Hardy and Dominique Robinson next in line. Simply put, this group is just one injury away from dangerous territory. There are a few free agents on the market that could fit the bill on a reasonable one-year deal:
It’s become clear that Allen will only really value bigger defensive ends. Both Smiths and Judon fit that bill nicely. Barrett is a bit of an outlier, but has played similar roles in the past in Todd Bowles’ defense. Za’Darius Smith might be the “cream of the crop” of this group, which could also mean he is likely to be...
