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Bears Should Skip Joey Bosa and Target These 5 Cheaper Edge Options

The Bears still need edge help before training camp, and cheaper options like Derek Barnett, Denico Autry and Emmanuel Ogbah may fit better than Joey Bosa.
Gene Chamberlain|
Jadeveon Clowney could be a good Bears fit talent-wise but the cost might not make it a good fit.
Jadeveon Clowney could be a good Bears fit talent-wise but the cost might not make it a good fit. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

With all eyes turning to training camp, the main lingering Bears problem is an extra edge rusher.

It's entirely possible they believe they can get by without adding someone, and this would be a grave mistake. The reason they could believe this is they saw Dayo Odeyingbo ahead of the pace of recovery for an Achilles tear with team practice time at minicamp.

It's still possible they'll get Shemar Turner back from his ACL tear, as well. However, this appears a bit more of a prayer than a hope, and Turner really hadn't even begun to show what he can do as an end. They couldn't even be sure what he'd contribute if he did come back healthy.

"We'll see with Shemar, this summer's going to be a big part for him," coach Ben Johnson said as mincamp was closing. "We'll have a good six weeks off of seeing where he's at when we come back to camp.

"But in terms of Dayo, this is really a bonus for us. We weren't quite sure when we started the offseason program that we would get him for any length of time. The fact that he's on the field, he wants to be out there, it's just another step forward in terms of him gaining confidence again and how he's moving."

It's very obvious they need to sign someone. The cost factor, combined with the role for them as a third or fourth in the rotation after Montez Sweat and Austin Booker would mean a player who costs less.

In writing for ESPN this week, Aaron Schatz detailed the final moves each team must make before training camp. He said the Bears need to sign Joey Bosa.

"Bosa had a 12.2% pass rush win rate last season, 26th among qualifying edge rushers, to go along with five sacks for Buffalo," Schatz wrote. "He has played most of his career with his hand on the ground, so he's probably the best fit for Chicago's 4-3 base out of the top three available veteran pass rushers."

This would be exciting and definitely could solve problems. It also could be too expensive and wasteful. Bosa's overall productivity has left much to be desired for the cost. He has been an eight-figure cap guy and the Bears aren't spending that much for a role player. The Bears have a good No. 2 edge prospect in Booker. They need the third player or even a fourth who is healthy, fits what they do defensively, and does not break the bank.

Cost is more than a cap total thing. It's projecting, as well. They need to get a contract extension to Darnell Wright and possibly even Gervon Dexter. They're already low on cash for 2027 let alone 2026. Bargains are better for third or fourth guy in a rotation.

Although Bosa fits what they do size-wise for an edge, he hasn't played a 17-game season, missed seven games the last two seasons and before that with the Chargers played only nine and five games in consecutive seasons due to injuries. He has 19 sacks in the past four years and there are plenty of guys available at half the cost or less who can do that or better.


Bosa is like Jadeveon Clowney. If healthy and with sufficient cap space or if they can get him for a complete bargain rate, the Bears should easily take either one. Without much cap space and with Bosa an injury risk much of the time, the Bears would be better off looking elsewhere and Clowney would be more of an ideal fit.

However, ideal fits usually cost more.

Spotrac.com has Clowney's projected rate at $5.7 million. They'd be getting him for slightly more than they pay for Tyson Bagent, or this year to retain Braxton Jones for a year. That would indeed be a bargain. It's not happening at that rate. To borrow a catch phrase from the late Terry Boers, who are they crappin'?

Here are the top bargains out there for what they need from a roster addition.

1. Derek Barnett, Texans


His drawback is lack of ideal size at 259 pounds. The perfect fit is 270-280. However, Barnett plays stout the way a bigger edge does, with 20 tackles for loss the last three seasons in a reserve role. And he makes enough sacks to make a lesser check a good investment. He had five sacks each of the last two seasons with smaller rotational rep totals. He's only had five starts since 2021, so he can easily adjust to being in a rotation. He hasn't had injury issues. Spotrac says $4.4 million for a deal. They should say done and sign him now at that rate.

2. Emmanuel Ogbah, Jaguars

At Spotrac's rate of $2.4 million, he could be a steal. Stats and his past suggest a bounce-back year. Could is the key word because he missed 15 games in four seasons and is 32 now. He also is coming off a disappointing year with half a sack and 15 tackles only one year after making five sacks and 49 tackles. Still he is ideal size at 275 and had 14 tackles for loss over the last three years while making 11 sacks.

3. Denico Autry, Texans


In many ways, he'd be a better choice than his teammate. At an ideal 6-6, 285 pounds, he has played edge and moves inside to tackle at times. This is what they had in mind for Odeyingbo and Turner. If Spotrac is even close to being correct at $2.8 million a year, the Bears are fools for not having him signed already. He averaged nine sacks a year for a four-year stretch prior to the last two seasons. Therein lies the problem. He'll be 36 this year and missed 12 games the last two seasons.

4. Von Miller, Commanders

The rumor mill had him practically on his hands and knees to come back to Denver but he's still available. He's 37 now and even though he had 15 sacks the last two seasons and nine last year for Washington, the cost could be high because of his past but Spotrac has him at $5.8 million. He made $6.1 last year so this could be accurate. Is a 37-year-old Hall-of-Fame mentor type an ideal fit for the Bears? It wouldn't hurt with costs low and production as high as he had the last two seasons but it isn't ideal, either. This is a young team rising, and he isn't the right size (6-3, 250) or age.

5. Haason Reddick, Buccaneers

There are so many reasons the Bears shouldn't even look in his general direction. One is his size. He is only 240 pounds but it hasn't kept him from being a dynamic force in the pass rush and also stopping the run. For four years he had 50 1/2 sacks and 51 tackles for loss. The last two years have been real washouts, playing 23 of 34 games due to injuries and a holdout and making 3 1/2 total sacks with six tackles for loss. He had knee and ankle injuries last year. High risk and high reward makes him someone for the list but not at the top for a rotational guy. And the Spotrac guesstimate of $4.9 million is way too low to anticipate for a guy who had a $14 million average annual value on his last deal. He's 32 this season so he should have something left.

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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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