5 free agents the Chicago Bears must sign who match Ryan Poles’ vision
Chicago Bears free agent target: Deshon Elliott, S
Who is going to be the starting safety next to Eddie Jackson this season? The team brought back DeAndre Houston-Carson but lost Deon Bush to the Kansas City Chiefs. Personally, I preferred Bush over Houston-Carson, but Houston-Carson was more prominent on special teams and I am sure that is the main reason he was retained.
The Chicago Bears also signed Dane Cruikshank to a one-year deal. Cruikshank might be the front runner right now to start opposite Jackson, but I would not be shocked if the team looked to add more bodies to the position. This is where Deshon Elliott comes in.
Elliott is not an undrafted free agent, but he is a late-round pick — drafted in the sixth round by the Ravens in 2019. Elliott would make for a solid addition to the Chicago Bears roster. He’s young at only 25 years old (in a couple of weeks) and has starting experience. He was the Ravens’ starter for all 16 games in 2020 and another six games last year before going on injured reserve with a torn pectoral and torn bicep injury.
In 2020, Elliott finished with 80 combined (51 solos) tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and 2.5 sacks. He kept receivers at under 60% completion percentage in 2020 and 66.7% last season. Not bad for a sixth-round draft pick out of Texas University. The system here in Chicago is not the same as in Baltimore, but I think he’d fit in fine. He can push to start but could also be counted on for special teams.
Elliott would fit in well with Ryan Pole’s and Matt Eberflus’ principles. He is a hard worker who clearly loves the game. He’s also very physical and should do well with the HITS concept. I’d expect that the Chicago Bears could sign Elliott to a relatively inexpensive and short-term deal — just what Ryan Poles is looking for these days.