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Chicago Bears Linked to Edge Rusher With Proven Record for Sacks

A look by Sports Illustrated at the top 10 free agents suggests one player GM Ryan Poles should be signing has a long history for pressuring QBs.
Gene Chamberlain|
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney gets a sack against the Giants last year. Clowney is called ideal for the Bears but is he?
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney gets a sack against the Giants last year. Clowney is called ideal for the Bears but is he? | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears finished free agency and the draft without finding an edge rusher who could fill the third spot in their rotation, or fourth if Dayo Odeyingbo's determination to return from injury is taken into account.

Fans have demanded another edge rusher before last season even ended and the cries come out daily in social media or even from analysts in the legitimate media.

Odeyingbo had a ruptured Achilles tendon in early November last season and a full recovery from such an injury can take a year. It doesn't mean he'd miss the start of training camp, but expecting him at 100% health seems like a pipe dream. Besides, his production prior to the injury reminded no one of Richard Dent. They do have Shemar Turner, who suffered a torn ACL at the same point in the season and really played only 41 snaps at defensive end in his first NFL season. Whether he's back from an ACL tear by camp might be questionable, as well.

It's obvious they should add someone, even if only as a fourth player in a rotation.

For that reason, Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano suggested the Bears as an ideal team fit for one of the top 10 available free agents. In the same article when he pinpointed wide receiver Stefon Diggs and the Bears as an ideal match, he also linked a player on the defensive line with them. It's not one of the names often mentioned as possibilities but there is no question he would help.

The top edge rushers still available include Cameron Jordan, Joey Bosa and Haason Reddick. Other names like Derek Barnett and A.J. Epenesa have also been suggested for them in analysis pieces but the Bears have been in need of another edge player for so long you could just about find them linked to any outside pass rusher available somewhere.

They did bring in Epenesa for a look but it hasn't gone beyond this. With so many free agent defensive ends still available it's a decision GM Ryan Poles can afford to wait on and look at his group in OTAs and minicamp, but perhaps not long afterward.

A big name for Bears but is he a fit?

None of those are players Manzano suggested. He calls 33-year-old veteran Jadaveon Clowney the ideal fit.

While Clowney does have many of the qualities the Bears could use, it's difficult to call him perfect for them.

He is an outstanding pass rusher still at his age and had 8 1/2 sacks for Dallas last year despite not playing in four of the games. He's had 22 or 23 pressures each of the last three years. Manzano also points out something else defensive coordinator Dennis Allen would appreciate.

"Clowney probably can’t fill the No. 2 role at this stage of his career, but the 33-year-old can still set the edge better than most players at his position," Manzano wrote. "He has added a few years onto his career because he’s a quality player against the run."

Run-stopping ability is always coveted by the Bears at the edge, although Clowney might not be the ideal fit in terms of technique. They look more for edges capable of bull rushing to contain the run or a running QB. Still, 30 tackles for loss over the last three years say he can get the job done.

There is more to ideal fits than skillset and production. They also need to fit into the cap situation. Pro Football Focus had Clowney ranked highly, as the 41st free agent and at $10 million per year. The Bears spending this much for  a player they might use as third or fourth man in a rotation seems unlikely.

Definitely, no one would fault them if they did it after seeing only 35 sacks by the team last year. However, a player like Epenesa probably suits what they'd be looking for more in an edge, if healthy. That's a big if because he failed a physical with Cleveland earlier in the offseason. He has always been a more stout edge with some pass rush ability and was projected at $5 million by PFF after he had a $7.4 million cap figure last year with Buffalo.

When a team's GM is still talking about Odeyingbo as if he's a viable alternative on the edge this year after such a devastating injury in 2025, expecting they would invest heavily in a pass rusher like Clowney, who has 66 1/2 sacks and is in his 13th year is probably expecting too much from them.

He'd hardly be the ideal fit but definitely one they could make work.

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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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