First Possible Free Agent Target For Chicago Bears Emerges

The Chicago Bears aren't going to be huge spenders in free agency. Not unless they're able to score an obvious upgrade at quarterback. So expectations are they will be more active during the later waves. This is when price tags drop significantly and teams can go hunting for potential bargains. It becomes a question of who GM Ryan Pace might target that could help the team improve.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was the first one to drop a name following the opening of the legal tampering window. Was it a quarterback? A tight end or wide receiver? Nope. It turned out to be a safety in Karl Joseph. The former 1st round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2016 has found himself on the market despite a pretty decent season a year ago.

The problem with this idea isn't the talent. Joseph seems like a perfect complement to Eddie Jackson thanks to his ability as a strong safety, playing in the box and defending the run. It's more his health history. He's missed 10 games in the past two seasons alone. He comes with a lot of risk, which is why the Bears better get him cheap.

Chicago Bears at least recognize their need at safety

Last year the team made a mistake. While signing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix made sense since it gave the Bears two safeties who could play coverage, they realized all too soon that they'd lost something. Clinton-Dix couldn't fill the Adrian Amos role of playing down in the box. That forced Jackson to play out of his natural free safety position more often, costing the defense precious takeaway opportunities. Pursuing a player like Joseph shows they recognize that error and wish to correct it.

If Joseph can play like he did last year before getting hurt (49 tackles in nine games) for an entire season? Then the Bears will have gotten themselves a steal. His physical style will bring another tone-setter to an already great defense. The question is can Pace get him at a favorable price? Given where the market is currently focused, that is definitely possible.