One Free Agent Pinpointed As A Likely Chicago Bears Target

The Chicago Bears have two games left. It's been tough to watch them play out the string. Their lacking talent was never a surprise. What makes it worse is the bevy of injuries they've suffered on top of that. GM Ryan Poles has to get this roster pointed in the right direction. This year was about tearing things down to the foundation and starting the rebuild. The good news is he has a young quarterback to build around in Justin Fields. He also seems to have picked a solid head coach in Matt Eberflus. Next on the agenda is filling out the roster with better players.

People will debate where the team should start. Anybody with common sense will have the defensive line either #1 or #2 on their list. The group hasn't just been bad this season. It's been historically bad. The entire group has 8.5 sacks this season. Jaquan Brisker, a safety, leads the team with four sacks. That can't happen for a defense to function. It is why experts believe Poles will look to strike early and often in that area. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, one name is already creating buzz.

That is Dre'Mont Jones of the Denver Broncos.

“I like him a lot,” said one AFC personnel man who scouted the Broncos this season. “He’s really good. He’s their best defensive linemen. I like the way he is playing. He’s going to cash in.”

Said another scout earlier this month: “Jones has a big, long body and he can play as a three or one technique. He’s best as a three and he’s a big-time athlete. He’s disruptive. At times he plays a little high. He was a little inconsistent coming out of Ohio State, but there is still a lot of upside there. He is big and he can move and he might fly under the radar a little.”

The Chicago Bears need someone precisely like Jones.

He has quietly been one of the better interior pass rushers in the NFL for the past three years. In that span, he has 18.5 sacks and 32 hits on the quarterback. Opposing guards and centers have had nightmares trying to block him. He is exactly what the Bears need for the three-technique position, the designated interior pass rusher. Justin Jones is an okay player, but he cannot fill that void. Jones can. The obvious question is whether Denver will work to keep him before the market opens in March.

They have around $18 million in cap space. That could be enough to secure a long-term extension. However, it might also cost the Broncos some of their other free agents. The franchise tag is a problem since it'll be $18.139 million for a defensive tackle. That would wipe out all of their space. So their only true hope is an extension. They may have to let him walk if it can't be done. In such a case, the Chicago Bears would be waiting with that $100+ million in cap space to lure him in.