The solution to Chicago's pass rush woes has been right in front of them all along

Everyone knows that Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback on the planet right now, but he's not as good as he looked against the Chicago Bears in their preseason finale. Sure, it was a preseason game and Mahomes played in just a handful of drives, but Mahomes spent all day in a clean pocket, picking apart Chicago's depleted secondary at will. And on the rare plays when Chicago managed to get close to Mahomes, he easily danced around outstretched arms and found open receivers to hit on the move.

Simply put, it was a shameful outing for Chicago's starters. If that's the kind of effort Bears fans can expect from their defensive line, then the Bears will be in serious trouble in 2025. Caleb Williams and the offense still need time to gel in head coach Ben Johnson's new system, especially when they're still making 'unacceptable' blunders, and they shouldn't be expected to win a bunch of shoot-outs.

Luckily, the answer to Chicago's pass rushing woes is a free agent and should be a familiar name to any NFC North fan. After all, he's played for every NFC North team except the Bears. I'm speaking of course about Za'Darius Smith.

No, Za'Darius Smith would not be the kind of game-wrecking, Earth-shattering roster addition that a trade for, say, Micah Parsons would be. But Smith is a proven contributor at defensive end and makes for a top-notch DE2, which is exactly what the Bears need right now. Over the past six years, has missed no more than one game in five of those seasons and finished below double-digit sacks just twice.

Signing Smith would not make the Bears Super Bowl contenders, but it would significantly raise the floor for a critical unit that, right now, is not looking up to snuff. Free agent signing Dayo Odeyingbo has been largely invisible throughout training camp and the preseason while second-year Austin Booker, who had been listed as an 'emerging defender' for the 2025 season, is likely to miss a few weeks with a knee injury.

It makes too much sense, and Chicago remaining the only NFC North team for whom Smith has not played just seems like a sign from the football gods. It's time for general manager Ryan Poles to pick up the phone and make the call.

Za'Darius Smit — Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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