Bear Digest

Top Free Agent Defensive Tackles Available to Bears and Possible Cost

The draft looks like the best option for the Bears at defensive tackle because of the large number of 30-somethings in the free agent marketplace.
Gene Chamberlain|
Levi Onwuzurike has flashed great potential and is a free agent, but the Lions DT has missed plenty of time with injuries.
Levi Onwuzurike has flashed great potential and is a free agent, but the Lions DT has missed plenty of time with injuries. | Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Chicago Bears

Judging from all of the social media pleading for the Bears to trade away their future to get Maxx Crosby or sign Trey Hendrickson, getting an edge player would seem a priority this offseason.

Hendrickson seems a likely franchise or transition player and the Crosby trade requires sacrificing the future. Scratch those.

It's a wasteful act if the Bears try to make a trade costing multiple first-round picks for an edge. Look at the Packers and their immediate payoff for Micah Parsons. Their payday in Year 1 was DJ Moore beating them twice in a month, the last time to end the season.

"I think you see it across the league all the time, you panic and you want to do crazy things that everybody else wants you to do and it leads to some situations that you can't get out of," GM Ryan Poles said at season's end. "We want to stay flexible. We want to stay open-minded. We want to stay committed to building this team the right way, because I think that's the best way to sustain success.”

The Bears approach this offseason needing both edge and interior defensive linemen. Whether one is more important than the other depends on what you see as their chief problem.

On one hand, they couldn't stop the run at all but their pass rush was sub-par with 35 sacks. The coaches will tell you, and so will players, that you earn the right to rush the passer by stopping the run first.

When the Bears could do neither, they'd better address both, but the run first.

When they go to Indianapolis for the scouting combine, they'll look at all defensive linemen but they need to pay just a bit more attention to tackle. The Super Bowl just showed why.

Patriots defensive lineman Milton Williams plays essentially a defensive tackle spot. He is listed as an end on the depth chart but he's an interior lineman in the 3-4 and a tackle in the four-man rush. He made six pressures and a sack for the Patriots. He produced more pressures than all of his team's edges combined.

On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks defense dominated play with their defensive tackles making 11 pressures. Interior player Byron Murphy had five pressures himself.

Hunting DTs

It's more difficult to find defensive tackles capable of applying pass pressure and stopping the run than it is to find edge rushers in most free agent crops, and this one is no different. For that reason, the draft looks like a better DT option.

The Bears might be better off bringing back Andrew Billings than some of the options on this year's free agent list.

Five of PFF's top 28 free agents this year are edge rushers but only one defensive tackle is in that group.

Detroit's DJ Reader is the top defensive tackle in the market. Next up is Calais Campbell, who turns 40 before the season starts. The amount PFF estimates for Campbell in the marketplace is $6 million for a year. To sign Reader it's estimate at $4.5 millon per PFF. Spotrac.com differs greatly on Campbell's value, putting it at $10.9 million for this year.

It's unusual for defensive tackles to excel from Day 1, and often takes three to five years before they're at peak performance levels.

However, this year's crop of free agent defensive tackles is a good reason to be excited about drafting defensive tackles, because it is loaded with retreads and players who are over the hill.

Here are the top defensive tackles available in free agency per PFF an projected costs via Spotrac an PFF..

DJ Reader, Lions

He's 31, coming off a good season blocking up the middle but not at making standout plays. He didn't make a tackle for loss or a sack in 17 games in 2025 even though PFF graded him 20th best free agent overall. He's never made more than three sacks and did that once in 10 years. And he hasn't had more than four tackles for loss since 2019.

Calais Campbell, Cardinals

PFF grades are highly subjective and often inaccurate measures but a 70.0 mark is at least an indication of dependability. And Campbell has been at that mark or better a phenomenal 15 straight years. But signing a 40-year-old? Good luck with that. The next snap could be the one where he's gone a step too far. PFF grades him the 29th best free agent and both PFF and Spotrac agree on $10.9 million for one year. That seems like they're overestimating the chance teams are willing to take on a player this old who isn't piling up sacks.

David Onyemata, Falcons

Another veteran from Atlanta who is coming off a better year. The Bears seem unlikely to want to bring in another 33-year-old to pair with Grady Jarrett but his rate per PFF is only going to be $3.5 million for a year. A sack and 21 pressures last year but Onyemata has a record of consistency only a little below Campbell's. Spotrac has him somewhat pricey at $8.6 million a year, although nowhere near the astronomical amount the Bear paid for Jarrett of three years and $43.5 million.

DaQuan Jones, Bills

At 34, add him to this list of overripe DTs available in free agency. A steady performer, at least he would come at a low rate if projections are right. Spotrac says only $1.8 million for a 12-year-veteran. He continues to get good pressure with eight QB hits last year, seven in 2024 and 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in his last four seasons.

John Franklin-Myers, Broncos

One of the few free agent defensive tackles not battling gray hair. He' only been in the league since 2018 and is 29. An extremely productive pass rusher who plays both end and tackle, which would appeal to Dennis Allen. He is 6-4, 288, has had 29 sacks, including 7 1/2 last year, and 67 QB hits in the last four seasons. With all of his productivity, he would be a more expensive DT, projected at $7.9 million a year per Spotrac and graded the 59th best free agent regardless of position by PFF.

Sebastian Joseph-Day, Titans

The last DT in the PFF top 100 free agents at 93rd overall, he has been an above-average performer, stady both piling up pressures and defending the run. He's 31 and in 2023 had 11 QB hits but has never had more than three sacks. He has 30 tackles for loss in seven years. At 6-4, 310, it's safe to wonder how much of his productivity is from playing inside along with Jeffrey Simmons. At $6.8 million a year per PFF, he could be pricey per the productivity.

Sheldon Rankins, Texans

His career started in Dennis Allen's scheme and he remained highly productive last year. Rankins' rank and PFF grade don't really reflect is productivity for a strong defense. The 6-2, 305-pounder had 78 QB hits an 49 tackles for loss in 10 seasons and is projected at $7.5 million.

Da'Shawn Hand, Chargers

Rated 127th among free agents by PFF and the last DT in their top 150. The former Lion has been an interior lineman in both a 3-4 and a 4-3 but hasn't been much of a playmaker with 17 tackles for loss and 6 1/2 sacks in eight seasons. He's 6-3, 302 and projected at $3.9 million by Spotrac.

Christian Wilkins, Raiders

Although he is 30, the 6-4, 310-pounder has played only six seasons and had one extremely productive year in Miami in 2023 when he made nine sacks, 23 QB hits and 10 tackles for loss. Let the buyer beware here, though. He had season-ending foot surgery in 2024. He was released after signing a four-year, $110 million contract when he thought he needed a second foot surgery. It could be a steal for a team that gets a healthy version of Wilkins, if that's possible. But the injuries mean there so real projection for his cost.

Levi Onwuzurike, Lions

PFF grades the 6-3, 304-pounder in its top 175 free agents even with a career that's been somewhat of a myth. He was productive in 2024 with 1 1/2 sacks, a TFL and 13 QB its, but then tore his ACL and missed last year. He has been on the field only in three seasons, as his 2022 season never came about due to a back injury. Even with this inexperience and injury history, Spotrac puts him at $4.8 million. And he was with a Ben Johnson team in Detroit.

Shelby Harris Browns

Another in the plus-30 crowd, this would be his fifth team. PFF grades him 173rd among free agents. You have to wonder how much of his 2023-25 production had to do with being on the line with Myles Garrett. Spotrac sees $2.9 million.

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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.