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Derek Barnett Could Be the Bears' Smartest Low-Cost Edge Move Left

Derek Barnett could be the Bears' best low-cost edge fix, giving Chicago proven pass-rush help without wrecking its fragile 2026 salary-cap outlook this season.
Gene Chamberlain|
Texans defensive end Derek Barnett gets his hands up for a deflection against the Colts.
Texans defensive end Derek Barnett gets his hands up for a deflection against the Colts. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

There are the big names still out there among edge rushers in free agency and they are obvious to even casual NFL observers.

Jadeveon Clowney, Cameron Jordan and Joey Bosa all are proven veterans, true enough. Then there are the useful or even essential types who can benefit a team both on the field and with their salary cap situation. Those are the types of free agents a GM could love.

With the Bears in need of obvious help at edge rusher, the name on everyone's tongue is Saints edge Jordan due to his past ties to Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, but also because he has so many career sacks.

In fact, Allen himself was singing Jordan's praises during rookie minicamp.

“My experience with him was outstanding," Allen said. "I mean, Cam's going to be a (deleted) Hall of Fame player –- is a Hall of Fame player. I don't know that there's been a ton of discussion about that.

"I think we feel pretty good about where we're at and what we have. Yet, you never know what opportunities might present themselves at some point down the road.”

The cost of signing Jordan could be higher even at age 37 though, and he might want to stay in New Orleans because his entire career has been with the team. This much isn't certain, but there are other options. One of those is less obvious.

In his role as Chicago Sports Network NFL analyst, former NFL tight end Clay Harbor identified three free agent players who could benefit the Bears most and the obvious one was Jordan. He also pointed to left tackle Taylor Decker, who played left tackle for Ben Johnson with Detroit.

The Bears have three players who have been tackle starters in Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet and former Browns first-rounder Jedrick Wills Jr. That shouldn't be a priority. Decker's blocking grades the last few years of his Lions career weren't significantly better than Jones' were for the Bears when healthy.

What is needed is the edge player who can come in as a third or fourth contributor, and it should be one who doesn't give away the edge in the ground game because this is a huge emphasis for Allen.

Hidden gem fits Bears like a glove

Harbor's third player was Houston Texans free agent edge Derek Barnett, and it's a wise choice.

While Barnett is not the exact fit in terms of size for Bears edge like Jordan is, his strengths are exact fits with the Bears when he’s healthy. He had a season-ending ACL tear in 2022 but that was a long time ago, before the Eagles traded him to Houston.

Barnett is 6-foot-3, 259 and will be 30 years old at training camp. He's much younger than Jordan and had a cap hit of only $4 million last year, which was something similar to what the Bears have paid to other extra edges in the past. They are not looking for a starter but someone who can be in the rotation with Austin Booker, Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo if he's healthy enough to play.

Jordan has the big name, but according to Pro Football Focus Barnett has been every bit the player he has in the last three years. And Jordan isn't getting younger.

Jordan has been ranked only 84th, 69th and 105th as a pass rusher by Pro Football Focus the past three years while Barnett has been 39th, 42nd and 31st. Also, Barnett isn't quite the run stopper Jordan has been, but is still very good. Jordan has been 26th, fourth and sixth against the run but Barnett has been ranked 21st, 11th and 55th among edges stopping the run.

Barnett has 20 tackles for loss in 39 Texans games and 12 1/2 sacks. Jordan has 25 tackles for loss and 16 1/2 sacks in the same period, but played 866 more snaps the last three years than Barnett.

A player who is used to this role as part of a rotation and is extremely productive for much less playing time is exactly who the Bears should be looking for considering their cap situation. Barnett has counted for more than last year's $4 million against the cap only twice in his career and topped out at $4.09 million.

If you add up all the benefits, Harbor was wrong. He had Barnett ranked third, behind Jordan and Taylor. A very good case can be made that Barnett is the best option.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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