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Bears Free Agency: What They Got Right—and What They Missed So Far

The Bears made changes with potential to improve how they play, but they didn't cover everything and there are questions about the moves they did make.
Gene Chamberlain|
Devin Bush celebrates after returning an interception for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Devin Bush celebrates after returning an interception for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Free agency for the Bears produced potential answers in several ways.

However, as the late, great Lou Holtz once said, "Son, your potential is going to get me fired."

There is nothing certain about the free agency moves made by the Bears at any position, and that's the problem. There is only potential for success with a few moves, and a flip of the coin at others.

This is how free agency always works. You're essentially taking everyone else's discards or players who think they're worth more than their team wants to pay. They might be right with a signing. The player's original team might be right.

Build in the draft, supplement in free agency is the only tried and true approach.

"I think there's a common theme with the guys that we brought in," GM Ryan Poles said after free agency was less than a week old. "One, we wanted to get faster, more explosive, and I think we did that—I know we did that. We wanted guys that are passionate about football that play our style and our brand of football. I know we did that.

"Then especially, the leadership to continue to enhance our roster so that we can continue to push forward being championship caliber team."

There are real questions about whether they actually got done what he believes. It's fairly certain they've downgraded the leadership part when they've lost Kevin Byard.

Wednesday marks the end of one month of free agency. Between then and now, they're unlikely to sign anyone of consequence. Since 2022, when he was still trying to put together a roster in Year 1 of a rebuild, Poles has added no players of greater ability than Rasheem Green and Nick McCloud in the last few weeks before the draft.

So, it's safe to look now at what they've done and decide what the Bears got right and what they missed so far in free agency.

Pass coverage

They did almost nothing to help their cornerback depth here and it's a potential problem. They had a real issue with safety depth and Cam Lewis does help there, as he can play the position. He is more of a slot corner and is not a backup in any way, shape or form outside behind Tyrique Stevenson. They didn't add someone to back up or compete with Stevenson and Jaylon Johnson. They're counting on Zah Frazier, who hasn't practiced once in the NFL. They're counting on Jaylon Jones, a scrap heap addition. And they're relying on Terell Smith, who had an ACL tear last year and appeared not to be a scheme fit last year in training camp.

Lewis in pass coverage has a career passer rating worse than Stevenson's 92.7, and he has played only 141 NFL snaps on the outside while playing 1,370 at safety or slot cornerback. Only once in a six-year career has he played more than 38% of the defensive plays when he was active anyway, so they'll get backup help from him at safety and the slot and a very good special teams player. They will only get an emergency player on the outside at cornerback, and it's a reason they could still draft a cornerback.

On the positive side, signing safety Coby Bryant increases their range in the secondary because of his speed. This allows them to do more in coverages. The problem here is they still have a gaping hole at the other starting safety spot to fill, and it will be a rookie doing it, unless they trade for someone. That's uncommon from April through early July.

They can't really count themselves improved in pass coverage by acquiring Devin Bush and losing Tremaine Edmunds. Bush has better speed but he's only 5-foot-11, the bottom 3% for linebackers in height ever measured at NFL combines. His wingspan was bottom 32% of linebackers and arm length bottom 58%. He's replacing a linebacker who at 6-foot-4 1/2, was top 4% in height, was top 3% in wingspan at 83 inches and top 3% in arm length at 34 1/2 inches. While Bush is a bit faster in 40 time, it's a question whether he improves their coverage over Edmunds when he's so vertically challenged.

Pass rush

They failed to upgrade the edge rush or even address it. All they've done here is create openings by not bringing back Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Dominique Robinson. That might be an upgrade in and of itself, but you still need someone to take up plays. They had the second-worst pass rush win rate for a reason and they only addressed the inside rush portion of this.

As for that inside pass rush, signing three players who are either practice squad types or one step above it does not constitute a real upgrade. Signing John Lynch, Kentavius Street and Neville Gallimore helps change their personnel more toward player types defensive coordinator Dennis Allen traditionally has used—athletic types over hunker-down roadblocks. Street and Gallimore, especially, improve their interior rush and have produced in this regard with past teams. They are backups, though, and haven't bolstered the rush anywhere enough to be starting types.

They do look like better blitzers, though. Bryant and David and Lewis can haul. They could provide issues for QBs who can't stand up to the pressure.

Run Defense

Both Bryant and David help in run defense with their speed. They are good hitters who can get into the box to provide run support. However, it's the defensive line where they most needed help stopping the run. They didn't get it.

Three times Lynch graded top half of the league at stopping the run, according to PFF. He's only a situational backup at best, though. Street and Gallimore have not even been average run defenders. If the starting defensive tackles were good run stoppers it would be fine, but Gervon Dexter's biggest weakness is run defense.  Grady Jarrett is their best run stopper on the defensive interior and is 33 this season, with knee issues.

They still require defensive tackle help and an edge who rushes the passer without giving away the running lanes.

Receiving

One of their big flaws last year was dropped passes and another was getting receivers open earlier on routes. Johnson noted this in both instances at the owners meetings. Signing Kalif Raymond does help, but the overall efficiency of both in their receiver corps is diminished by losing DJ Moore. With Moore, they didn't usually need to worry about his hands. His route running could have been better but he was open enough to make key receptions and broke tackles or eluded tacklers afterward.

If you're counting Raymond as an improvement over lost free agent Olamide Zaccheaus, then they've had a net gain. If it's over Moore, than a net loss. Either way, there is room to add receiver help.

Blocking

No one can be sure they have the answer at left tackle with Braxton Jones returning, with Theo Benedet and with free agent acquisition Jedrick Wills. It's certain none are Ozzy Trapilo, and he'll be trying to recover from knee surgery. There could be work to be done by adding one more to the mix. They do also have Kiran Amegadgie. So they have uncertainty.

The only certainty with center Garrett Bradbury replacing Drew Dalman is they have taken a step back. The addition they'd make yet by drafting someone would be for a future starting center. For now, their center play appears only slightly better than at left tackle.

Running the ball

Their top two backs are fine but they could have used a speed back as a backup to D’Andre Swift and none materialized. A speed back who can catch passes and pass block would find plenty of reps even as a third guy into the mix.

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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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