Leonard Floyd must be grateful every day that Ryan Pace was the one who drafted him. Pretty much everybody else running a team would've long since sent him on his way after four average seasons as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Ones that saw his sack production steadily decline each of those years. Two of them playing across from Khalil Mack. Pace has made every excuse in the book for people to stay patient but the Chicago Bears fans are out of it.
This is why the team will likely at least be active on the veteran pass rusher market. People talk about finding competition for Mitch Trubisky. Floyd shouldn't be any different. Aaron Lynch was never a threat to his job. Are there any potential bargains out there for the Bears who might be interested in such an opportunity.
Here are a few names that stand out with free agency less than two weeks away.
Chicago Bears should score an older vet for cheap
Bruce Irvin (32)
Irvin has enjoyed a long career in the NFL hunting quarterbacks. Many thought he was out of gas in 2019, but he proved them wrong with 8.5 sacks for Carolina. He still knows how to hunt the QB and odds are he won't be expensive given his age. The best part is he played alongside Khalil Mack for a couple of years in Oakland. So there's familiarity he can look forward to.
Mario Addison (32)
Easily one of the most underrated pass rushers in the NFL. The Chicago Bears actually had Addison as a rookie in 2011 but allowed him to leave. He eventually found his way to Carolina where he's racked up 55 sacks over the past seven seasons. This includes 9.5 last year for the Panthers. If Chicago is searching for the ideal rotational rusher, this is their guy. Nothing fancy. Just let him hunt the quarterback.
Kyler Fackrell (29)
He actually looked like he might be emerging as a legitimate pass rusher in 2018, collecting 10.5 sacks. Then the Packers signed Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith, relegating him to backup duties. Fackrell had just one sack last year. Fackrell can't be called anything special but he clearly has enough skills to find the quarterback if given opportunities. It won't take big money to get him and he can bring some inside knowledge on the Packers defense.
Ezekiel Ansah (30)
Three years ago, Ansah was one of the better pass rushers in the NFL. He had 12 sacks in 2017. Since then though he's been haunted by frequent injury issues. Between the past two years, he missed 14 games and managed just 6.5 sacks combined. Anybody who signs him will be taking a risk on the possibility the player he once was is gone. On the other hand, he won't cost much because of those concerns and may yet have some juice left.
Jason Pierre-Paul (31)
A man with easily one of the strangest track records in NFL history. Pierre-Paul has found ways to suffer some freak injuries in his career. At the same time, he's remained a steady and productive pass rusher. Despite missing six games in 2019, he still finished with 8.5 sacks. He could prove a bit more expensive than others on this list but still within the price range of Chicago. Pairing him with Mack could lead to huge results too.
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