The Chicago Bears enter the 2024 NFL offseason as one of the most highly talked about teams. It’s no secret that the Bears have a big decision on what to do with the number one overall pick looming.
The fan base is split on the direction of the Chicago Bears moving forward as some around Chicago want to draft USC star Caleb Williams number one overall and trade Justin Fields, while others want to keep Fields and use their draft picks to build around him for the future.
It currently seems likely that the Bears will opt to select Williams number one, and the rest of the offseason will revolve around continuing to build out the rest of the roster.
Chicago Bears Big Picture
Cap Space:
$78,335,157 – 3rd in NFL
Effective Cap Space:
$66,248,878 – 5th in NFL
Information Via Over The Cap
Draft Picks:
Round One – Pick 1 (Via Carolina), Round One – Pick 9, Round Three – Pick 75, Round Four – Pick 111, Round Four – Pick 123 (Via Philadelphia), Round Five – Pick 143
Information Via Tankathon
Chicago Bears Free Agents
Jaylon Johnson
Position: CB Age: 24 PFF Projection: 1 yr $18.8m (Franchise Tag) Spotrac Projection: 5 yrs $78.7m
Jaylon Johnson is one of the biggest free agents of the offseason. The 2023 Second-Team All-Pro is a phenomenal cornerback and won’t turn 25 until April. It’s expected that the Bears will do what they can to retain him this offseason.
Darnell Mooney
Position: WR Age: 26 PFF Projection: 1 yr $9m Spotrac Projection: 4 yrs $42m
Darnell Mooney has shown he can be a solid WR 2 or 3 in the NFL. He is projected to sign for around $10 million per year in free agency. Mooney’s best season came in 2021 where he was the main target in Chicago’s offense finishing with 1,055 yards on the season.
D’Onta Foreman
Position: RB Age: 27 Spotrac Projection: 1 yr $3.1m
D’Onta Foreman signed with the Bears last offseason after signing a one-year, $2 million deal. He was part of a running back rotation that also consisted of Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson, as he rushed for 425 yards on 109 attempts.
Yannick Ngakoue
Position: Edge Age: 28 PFF Projection: 1 yr $4m
The Bears brought Yannick Ngakoue in late in the offseason as they signed him to a one-year, $10.5 million deal in August. The signing was underwhelming for Chicago as Ngakoue struggled to rush the passer consistently.
Cody Whitehair
Position: G Age: 31
After being drafted in the second round of the 2016 draft, Cody Whitehair has played eight seasons for the Bears. He was primarily played left guard and center as he’s played 3,000 plus snaps at each position in the NFL.
Lucas Patrick
Position: C Age: 31
Lucas Patrick signed with Chicago in the 2022 offseason as he signed a 2-year, $8 million deal. He was their starting center this season, but the Bears will likely look for an upgrade this offseason due to his inconsistencies in pass protection.
Eddie Jackson
Position: S Age: 30
Eddie Jackson was released by the Bears in February to clear $12.56 million in cap space. Jackson played seven years for the Bears after being drafted in the fourth round in 2017. The Bears will likely move on as his best days are behind him.
Justin Jones
Position: DT Age: 27
Justin Jones signed a two-year, $12 million deal with Chicago in the 2022 offseason after spending four years with the Chargers. Jones has started all 17 games for the Bears in each of the last two seasons. He was third on the team in pressures this year with 36.
Rasheem Green
Position: Edge Age: 26
Chicago brought in Rasheem Green on a one-year, $2.5 million deal last offseason. He has played six seasons in the NFL as he has also spent time with the Texans and Seahawks. Green was a rotational edge rusher this season as he played 385 defensive snaps in 17 games.
Other Free Agents: WR Equanimeous St. Brown, WR Trent Taylor, TE Robert Tunyon, TE Mercedes Lewis, C Dan Feeney, LS Patrick Scales, LB Dylan Cole, CB Josh Blackwell
Information Via Spotrac and PFF
Chicago Bears Offseason Needs
The Bears enter the offseason in an interesting spot. Although they have a lot of positions that they need to get better at, they have the resources to improve their roster and long-term outlook quickly. With two top ten draft selections and a lot of cap space another big offseason may be in store for the Chicago Bears.
A lot of the top free agents in this class are expected to be franchise-tagged. However, the Bears will be contenders to sign any high-level players that hit the open market. The question is, at what positions?
Quarterback
Many around the Bears fanbase want them to stay with Fields as their quarterback moving forward. While Fields is a solid quarterback who still has room to grow as a player, Caleb Williams is too good of a prospect to pass on at number one overall.
In today’s NFL, it’s nearly impossible to contend consistently without either having a superstar quarterback or a good quarterback on a rookie contract. Considering that drafting Williams allows them to restart the rookie quarterback contract clock, it’s hard to imagine that’s not the direction that they should go in.
Wide Receiver
One of the biggest priorities for the Bears this offseason is adding more weapons to the offense alongside D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet. This need is also amplified by Darnell Mooney, who is set to hit the open market as a free agent this offseason.
This year’s group of free-agent wide receivers includes Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr., Mike Evans, Marquise Brown, and Calvin Ridley. Chicago could look to target one of them in a trade after a franchise tag or sign as a free agent if they hit the open market.
A dream draft scenario for Chicago would be for either Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze to fall to ninth overall. Trading up for one of them is also an option for the Bears.
Guard
2021 second-round pick Teven Jenkins projects as a starter for Chicago moving forward. However, they still need the other guard spot. The free agent guard options are good, as eight guards are listed in PFF’s top 100 free agents this offseason.
Center
With Lucas Patrick inconsistencies as a pass protector and the fact that he’s on the wrong side of 30, the Bears will likely look to upgrade at center this offseason from Patrick who is also a free agent. The top three free-agent centers via PFF include Connor Williams, Andre James, and Lloyd Cushenberry.
Edge Rusher
The Bears made a big move when they sent a second-round pick to the Commanders for Montez Sweat. His impact was immediately felt as the Bears had one of the top defenses in the NFL after his addition. The Bears still could still improve their edge rusher rotation as they lack talent outside of Sweat.
This free agent class is loaded with big names at edge rusher including Josh Allen, Brian Burns, Danielle Hunter, Bryce Huff, Chase Young, Jonathan Greenard, Jadeveon Clowney, and Za’Darius Smith. While a few of them are likely to be franchise-tagged, the Bears could look to use some of their cap space to pair Sweat with another talented edge rusher.
In the draft, the edge rusher is near the top of the list of positions the Bears could address with the ninth overall pick. Their options include Alabama’s Dallas Turner, Florida State’s Jared Verse, and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu.
Defensive Tackle
Chicago is a big contender for adding a big-name defensive tackle in free agency or in the draft this offseason. Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter are both good pass rushers to utilize in the rotation. However, they would benefit quite a bit from adding a high-level defender on the interior.
Chris Jones, Justin Madubuike, Christian Wilkins, Leonard Williams, and DJ Reader are names to keep an eye on for potential additions for the Bears if they aren’t franchise-tagged and hit the open market. In the draft, Byron Murphy and Johnny Newton are two options for the Bears at ninth overall.
Cornerback
Retaining Jaylon Johnson will be the biggest priority for Chicago in free agency as the 2023 Second-Team All-Pro is an instrumental piece to their defense. If he signs elsewhere, the boundary cornerback will turn into a big need for Chicago, and that will need to be addressed in free agency or the draft.
Safety
With Eddie Jackson being released in February, free safety will likely need to be addressed in free agency. Jordan Fuller, Julian Blackmon, and Geno Stone are three options that would make sense for the Bears, as all three are good players that wouldn’t come at a steep cost.
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