Seems Chicago Bears Are Eyeing Calculated Risk At Edge Rusher

The Chicago Bears were abnormally quiet on the edge rusher situation despite genuine panic setting in for fans. They already had misgivings about the depth behind Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo. It got even worse when Austin Booker went on Injured Reserve with a knee injury. Suddenly, the Bears were looking at Dominique Robinson and Daniel Hardy as their primary backups. Not ideal. They have to do something to at least shake things up. Well, they finally might.

According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Bears plan to work out Isaiah Foskey this week. The defensive end was a 2nd round pick for the New Orleans Saints in 2023, meaning he has direct ties to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Foskey was an excellent junior and senior player for Notre Dame, racking up 22 sacks and 27 tackles for a loss. He also forced seven fumbles. So, one can imagine that Saints fans were perplexed that he had failed to collect a single sack in two seasons with the team before being released.

The Chicago Bears might want to see if they can get Foskey back on track.

It is worth noting that the Eagles wish to meet with him, too. They have a sharp eye for pass rushers, which suggests they feel he might not have been utilized properly in New Orleans. Don't forget Allen was the head coach during both seasons. He didn't run the defense himself. If he thought Foskey was a lost cause, why bother even working him out? The Chicago Bears must think his talent is worth exploring.

The scuttlebutt about Foskey coming out of college was that he had lots of natural talent but lacked a deep array of pass-rush techniques. That presents a problem when facing NFL offensive tackles.

“He’s a really productive rusher and he’s still learning how to do it, so I think his upside is really high.” -- Personnel executive for NFC team

Foskey had 83 total rushes over the past two seasons, managing only three pressures on the quarterback. Either something went seriously wrong in New Orleans, or the scouting reports badly missed the mark. If he signs with the Bears, we will find out.