Chicago Bears: Available Free Agent DEs
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In my last post I broke down the Bears depth chart at defensive end which reminded me how dangerously thin the Bears are at the position. With only 2 established NFL veterans on the D-line (Ratliff, Jenkins), the Bears will be leaning heavily on untested young players. Even if youngsters like Eddie Goldman, Ego Ferguson, Will Sutton, and Olsen Pierre pan out, the Bears barely have enough depth to maintain a viable rotation. If one or two of those players were to get injured or not be ready for NFL snaps, that could have a devastating impact on the D-line as a whole. The loss of Ray McDonald puts the Bears D-line depth in a precarious position where they need contributions from all available players. They need to add some depth at the DE position before the start of the season and there are some decent veterans still available in the free agent pool.
Some players on this list are solid NFL contributors who may be holding out for more money than the Bears are willing to spend or may be set on retiring. I don’t have that kid of insight, but as far as I can tell these players are still active and would be willing to play for the Bears if the price was right. The Bears could also be planning to bring in young players as other team’s rosters are trimmed during the preseason, but there is no way to know who may become available down the road. As of today, these are the best possible free agent options at DE for the Bears.
Best Available DE Options
Red Bryant (31 | 6’5 | 328) – Massive 5-tech DE who has been one of the best run stuffing ends in the NFL over the last few seasons. Bryant’s play declined a little last year in his first season with the Jags which could be due to his age or the fact that he went from a perennial winner in Seattle to depressing losers in Jacksonville. The Jags signed him last offseason to a 4-year, $19M deal, but released him this offseason before his roster bonus kicked in. A slight decline in play could have had something to do with the release, but Bryant’s hefty cap number and the additions of Jared Odrick and Tyson Alualu probably had more to do with it.
Originally a 4th round pick by the Seahawks in 2008, Bryant struggled for 3 seasons as a DT until Pete Carroll took over and moved Bryant to the 5-tech DE position that he has excelled at ever since. His unusual size and long arms for a DE gives Bryant an advantage in controlling 2 gaps on the edge and effectively controlling the run game. He has enough power to drive tackles into the backfield, setting the edge and forcing running backs inside, and enough quickness to disengage from tackles to attack ball carriers who attempt to run around him.
Bryant was very effective as a DE in the Seahawks hybrid scheme which is fairly similar to what Vic Fangio ran in San Fran. Bryant could slide into the RE spot that Justin Smith held with the Niners and allow the Bears to move Jay Ratliff to LE where his pass rushing ability would be more effective.
C.J. Mosley (32 | 6’2 | 314) – Solid rotation D-lineman who has provided positive value for the Lions and Jags over the last three seasons. His experience is primarily at DT, but Mosley has the size and run stopping ability to transition to the 5-tech DE position. According to Pro Football Focus, Mosley has graded out in the positive as a run stopper for the last 4 seasons and would give the Bears a solid backup for Jarvis Jenkins at RE and a safety-valve if young players like Ego Ferguson and Eddie Goldman aren’t ready for significant minutes this season. Mosley is reportedly in negotiations with the Lions but also one other team, maybe that team is the Bears.