The Chicago Bears have improvement in their sights. One year after finishing with the NFL’s worst record, the Bears have spent the offseason augmenting their roster as they fight for relevancy in the NFC North. But there are still several moves Chicago could consider making before the 2023 regular season gets underway.
3 Final Moves for the Chicago Bears
Sign a Free Agent Pass Rusher
Aside from the Cardinals, the Bears might have the least impressive defensive line in the NFL. Chicago invested Day 2 picks in defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, but they didn’t draft any edge rushers after adding DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green in free agency.
While the Bears’ defensive line is better than it was last season, the 2022 version of Chicago’s front set an incredibly low bar. Matt Eberflus’ unit ranked dead last in sacks (20) and quarterback knockdown rate (4.2%) and finished 31st in pressure rate (15.9%).
Luckily for the Bears, the free agent EDGE market still boasts a few high-profile names, even after Leonard Floyd (Bills) and Frank Clark (Broncos) came off the board earlier this summer.
Those pass rushers will earn between $5-7 million for their new clubs, setting a price tag that shouldn’t present a problem for Chicago, which ranks first in the NFL with more than $32 million in cap space.
Justin Houston might make the most sense for the Bears, especially given that he played under Eberflus in Indianapolis. While he probably won’t be fortuitous enough to again convert 15 pressures into 9.5 sacks (as he did in 2022), Houston would offer scheme familiarity and a veteran presence for a young Chicago defense.
If Houston isn’t interested in joining the Bears, general manager Ryan Poles will still have plenty of other options, as Jadeveon Clowney, Yannick Ngakoue, Kyle Van Noy, Melvin Ingram, and Dawuane Smoot are all free agents.
Explore an Extension With Darnell Mooney
Justin Fields’ wide receiver corps will look a lot different in 2023 than it did at the start of the 2022 season. Last September, Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Byron Pringle comprised one of the least inspiring wideout groups in the league. By acquiring DJ Moore and Chase Claypool over the past eight months, Chicago has raised both the floor and the ceiling of its WR depth chart.
Mooney and Claypool are both entering contract years. Given how poorly Claypool produced after coming over from the Steelers last November (14 receptions for 140 yards on 29 targets), Mooney should be the extension priority.
While an ankle injury limited Mooney to 12 games and just 493 yards in 2022, he proved in the previous season that he’s capable of playing like a high-end No. 2 receiver. That year, Mooney finished with 81 receptions for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns while ranking 10th in the NFL with a 26.7% target share.
Mooney is unlikely to command that sort of target share with Moore in town, but he’s a viable complementary pass catcher. A four-year, $64 million deal would place Mooney just above Hunter Renfrow in average annual value among WRs. That contract level would lock in Chicago’s top two wideouts, but it wouldn’t prevent the Bears from adding another WR early in the 2024 draft.
Convince Kindle Vildor To Accept a Pay Cut
Kindle Vildor has appeared in more games for the Bears (44) over the past three seasons than any other current Chicago player, but there’s a chance he might not be around in 2023. In our most recent Bears roster projection, we listed Vildor as a surprise cut.
For one, Vildor is no longer a projected starter after Chicago selected Miami’s Tyrique Stevenson in the second round of April’s draft. Josh Blackwell looks like Kyler Gordon’s backup in the slot, rookie fifth-rounder Terell Smith is probably safe, and Jaylon Jones will play behind Jaylon Johnson and Stevenson on the outside.
Additionally, Vildor is also looking at a pay increase thanks to the NFL’s proven performance escalator (PPE) program. Because he wasn’t drafted in the first round and averaged at least 35% playtime over his first three NFL campaigns, Vildor’s base salary will shift from the league minimum to $2.7 million in 2023.
The Bears don’t have cap space issues, but they might not want to pay nearly $3 million for a player who will be, at best, CB6. None of Vildor’s salary is guaranteed, so Chicago has the leverage to ask him to accept a pay reduction. A new deal worth a fully guaranteed $1.5 million could keep Vildor in the Windy City.
