Free agency won’t be where the Chicago Bears aim to build their roster. Still, with almost $100 million in spending money, they figure to use the veteran market to bolster one of the worst rosters in the NFL. Most people know about the big fish. Defensive tackles Da’Ron Payne, Dre’Mont Jones, and Javon Hargrave seem like perfect fits for Matt Eberflus’ system at the three-technique. There is Buffalo linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and Colts pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue among others.
However, it’s a fair assumption GM Ryan Poles might try to work the market looking for bargains. That is to say, players that can be good contributors without breaking the bank. ESPN analyst and former defensive back Matt Bowen has done extensive work on the 2023 free agent class. He is familiar with the type of system Eberflus likes to run. So he listed four names Bears fans may not know that could be immediate boosts to a defense that ranked among the NFL’s worst last year.
More free agent tape…
Some potential targets for Matt Eberflus’ defense in Chicago.
• DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (HOU) • LB Bobby Okereke (IND) • DT Sheldon Rankins (NYJ) • DE Samson Ebukam (SF) #Bearspic.twitter.com/wf4b0Uxaa1
The Chicago Bears could indeed benefit from these players.
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo had his best season in 2022, collecting five sacks and 11 quarterback hits for the Houston Texans. This came in the Lovie Smith defensive system, which is similar to what Eberflus runs. Ebukam is another 4-3 defensive end that has been a consistent pest across from Nick Bosa for the past two seasons. He has 9.5 sacks and 26 quarterback hits in that time. Rankins looked like a budding star in 2018, with nine sacks and 16 QB hits as a defensive tackle. Injuries hampered him for the next two years, unfortunately. Still, he’s been a dependable player for the Jets both as a pass rusher (6 sacks) and run defender.
Okereke is the least surprising of the four. Matt Eberflus had a hand in drafting him a few years ago in Indianapolis. The young linebacker thrived in this system. His wanting to reunite with his former coach isn’t a hard thing to picture. The Bears need more help at the position. He’d be an easy person to slot in next to Jack Sanborn. Then they could go hunting for a weakside option in the draft. Any of these players, while not stars, would be quality additions to the roster.
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