The Chicago Bears are set to make plenty of big decisions in the 2022 offseason. They have plenty of free agents to debate, but one thing on their side is familiarity with the coaching staff. The Bears have a General Manager from the Chiefs, a coach from the Colts, and a list of coaches from a variety of other areas.
With that in mind, these names could bring in a strong perspective of outside players. Who are some safeties that they could bring in to start beside Eddie Jackson, or at least provide depth?
3. Could George Odum come from the Indianapolis Colts?
Matt Eberflus was once the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator. Alan Williams was the secondary coach, and they even brought some assistants over from the secondary. So, no coaching staff on the free-agent market would have a better understanding of George Odum than the Colts.
Odum was a UDFA with the Colts, and he turned into a player who spent four years on the roster. The coaching staff in Chicago is the main ones that bought into him and worked him into having a chance to be a free agent with offers.
Odum only started 10 games over his four-year run, but he has been working on the defensive side of the ball in dime situations often. He also has been a four-year leader on the Colts special teams unit. The Bears may be losing Deon Bush and DeAndre Houston-Carson in free agency.
Odum is the Colts’ version of that same type of player. It would be a similar cost and would probably help change the culture to the way that Matt Eberflus wants to do things.
2. What is Ryan Neal’s connection to Chicago Bears?
The Chicago Bears brought over a good amount of their defensive staff from the Indianapolis Colts, but they do have a strong connection to the Seattle Seahawks as well.
Andre Curtis was hired to be the Chicago Bears safety coach. He had previously been with the Seattle Seahawks since 2015. Ryan Neal has been with the Seattle Seahawks since 2019.
They signed him when he had little going for him and may have been quickly out of the NFL. Now, he is a legitimate NFL player with NFL starts over the past two years. Neal also contributed on special teams heavily during that span.
What made Ryan Neal such a valuable asset for the Seahawks was his versatility. He not only shifted between the box and deep, he moved into the slot when needed as well. That versatility was highlighted by Andre Curtis, and it could be what has Curtis telling the Chicago Bears front office to bring him in.
As noted, this could be an upgrade from DHC or Deon Bush at the least. There is also the chance that Ryan Neal could slot into a box starter next to Eddie Jackson, and that he finally breaks out when given a legitimate chance in Chicago.
1. Wil Ryan Poles bring in Daniel Sorensen?
This is less about what I would do and more about looking at the connections and thinking about what the Chicago Bears may do. Daniel Sorensen has been with the Kansas City Chiefs for a long time. That is long, but not quite as long as Ryan Poles, who was helping the scouting side when they brought Sorensen in.
The Chief watched Sorensen rise from a fringe roster player to a starter. Of course, some fans look at him and remember him as the liability on the Chiefs’ defense when the big games against star quarterbacks came around.
That is fair, and that is going to hurt his market, but Ryan Poles likely see someone who went from an unknown to a starter. The Chicago Bears should not look at him as a starter or a savior next to Eddie Jackson.
However, he certainly could step in and help on special teams, and his experience could go further than some fans realize if he is used essentially as a linebacker. It may not be a fan favorite, but it also may be likely to happen.