Chicago Bears: 5 veteran free agents the team could still target

Darron Lee – ILB

If you have not noticed, Ryan Pace likes to bring in former first-round picks on one-year, prove-it deals. Why not bring in Darron Lee? Lee is coming off a Super Bowl victory with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has yet to be signed though and the Chicago Bears could use a third inside linebacker.

With Danny Trevathan’s injury history the likelihood of a backup linebacker having to play significant minutes is going to happen. Right now the team will be counting Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Josh Woods and undrafted free agent Rashad Smith. Personally, I do not feel comfortable with this depth situation and would love to see the Chicago Bears bring in another proven veteran.

Lee would be ideal. He just played for under $2 million in 2019 and saw only 14 percent of the Chiefs snaps. Lee might not want to take on another backup role, but since he has yet to sign elsewhere, he may not have a choice. Pace should look to add him anyway. He has the experience to help on special teams as he played 57 percent of the Chiefs special teams snaps last year. He also has the ability to be the lead inside linebacker if needed.

When with the Jets, Lee played 62, 92 and 72 percent of the defensive snaps. His sophomore year was his best as he racked up 94 combined tackles (67 solos). He is exactly the type of player this defense needs for depth.