The Chicago Bears are about to get busy- real busy. Free agency is just a few days away and the Bears have money to spend. Ryan Pace has spent the past couple months thoroughly examining his roster, looking at what holes are the most pressing and what potential free agents could solve those issues.
General consensus seems to be that the Bears will focus their free agent spending on defense, but if you listen to Lamarr Houston, the Bears shouldn’t spend any money on pass rushers. Houston was a guest on Sports Talk Live on CSN Chicago and, according to John Mullin, addressed the needs (or lack of needs) at certain positions on defense.
"I couldn’t say that they wouldn’t go draft an outside linebacker or bring somebody else in. But as of right now I don’t see what the need would be for one because we’re very productive guys."
Houston took issue with the idea that the Bears might look at improving their pass rush in free agency when they have Pernell McPhee, himself, and Willie Young. Houston led the team with eight sacks in 2015 and he feels with him and McPhee on the edges and Young in the mix there is no reason for the team to add another rusher to the mix.
Houston thinks that his 2015 season is a far more accurate barometer of his abilities rather than his 2014 season which was nothing short of a debacle.
"I was able to make a lot of progress [in 2015]. Unfortunately my first season I didn’t get to finish, and I don’t think fans got a feeling for what kind of player I am. This year being able to play a full season, I wanted to make sure fans knew what type of player I am and what I bring to the game, the passion I have for the game."
Houston is confident which is exactly what Ryan Pace and John Fox want to see. Truthfully, there aren’t many high-quality 3-4 edge rushers available in free agency so the odds that Pace looks to add another free agent at OLB is probably unlikely, however, the odds are strong that the Bears will add another pass rusher in the draft, which even Houston acknowledged in his earlier quote.
Regardless of Houston’s opinion about the roster, the Bears didn’t get enough pressure on the quarterback in 2015. While it was a significant improvement from the previous season, they were still giving quarterbacks too much time to throw on a regular basis. Pace knows this, Fox knows this, and Vic Fangio knows this. Whether Houston likes it or not, there will be more competition at edge rusher in training camp this summer. The Bears are looking to develop into a dominant defense, and dominant defenses get to the quarterback.
Next: Five Players Chicago Bears Must Target in Free Agency
Bill Zimmerman is an editor and featured writer for FanSided‘s BearGogglesOn. Like his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter for more news and interaction.