Yesterday, I wrote about the unexpected development of the Las Vegas Raiders' releasing center Andre James, which provided the Chicago Bears with much-needed alternatives in a market they're expected to be active in. It turns out their good fortune wasn't done yet. The widespread belief is they will also be hunting for edge rusher help. Almost on cue, events elsewhere in the NFL came to their aid as former Pro Bowlers Joey Bosa and Harold Landry were both released by the Chargers and Titans, respectively.
It should not be understated how significant this is. Despite missing 11 games over the past two seasons, Bosa still had 11.5 sacks during that stretch. When healthy, he remains a significant threat. Landry? He has 19.5 sacks over the past two seasons, all the more impressive since he did it coming off an ACL tear. Add those to alongside names like Josh Sweat, Khalil Mack, and Chase Young and you start to see a market that will allow the Bears to find edge rush help without becoming desperate.
The Chicago Bears are in a good spot as free agency looms.
They've already addressed their guard situations with the trades for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. That narrows the list of pressing needs. Center and edge rusher are the two most agreed are next in line. Now the Chicago Bears have enough options on the table to settle at least one of those spots, if not both. They still have over $50 million in cap space. It shouldn't be too difficult to land two quality options without breaking the bank while still managing to retain their three picks in the first two rounds of the draft. It would enable to focus on taking the absolute best players available without having to rely on positions of need. This is likely what Poles has been working toward for months.
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