The Chicago Bears are in familiar territory as the initial free agency buzz has settled. For another year in a row, this team has a need in the pass rush department.
With a deep class coming out via the 2026 NFL Draft, the Bears could certainly address the position that way. But, a couple of weeks into free agency, there is still one intriguing name sitting out there for the taking: former Charger and Bill, Joey Bosa.
General manager Ryan Poles likely wants to go after younger talent at the position, but by signing Bosa, they could add a good amount of depth and talent to this group. At the same time, bringing in Bosa to start opposite Montez Sweat would send a message to a couple of others.
On one hand, this is a message sent to last year's free agent signing, Dayo Odeyingbo. But, more importantly, it theoretically pushes Austin Booker down the depth chart -- and that's not something most fans want to see.
Booker came on towards the end of last season after recovering from an injury and gaining more playing time, and he looks like someone the Bears can continue to give more playing time to.
The Chicago Bears should sign Joey Bosa, but the depth chart can't be what it looks like now
Now, presenting the idea of Chicago signing Bosa and sending a message to Booker doesn't mean they should do it.
If the Bears signed Bosa, logic would tell you Booker goes from no to yes. 3 to no. 4 on the depth chart, behind Odeyingbo. By default, the Bears put Booker on notice with one swift move.
However, Booker showed a whole lot more than Odeyingbo did last year (before his injury).
In a perfect world, the Bears play Booker over Odeyingbo. But the money currently says otherwise, because Chicago signed Odeyingbo to such a big free agent deal last offseason, they're almost obligated to play him ahead of Booker.
But, they shouldn't.
None of this should prevent the Bears from adding a pass rusher in the upcoming draft, but signing Bosa still makes sense. Once again, if everything went according to how most fans are thinking in this scenario, Bosa would team up with Sweat as the starting duo, with Booker playing a bunch as well.
As for Odeyingbo, well, we will let the front office and coaches figure out what to do with him.
Back to Bosa, momentarily. Last year, with the Bills, he posted 5.0 sacks and five forced fumbles. More impressive than the sack numbers, though, was the fact that Bosa tallied a whopping 47 pressures.
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He had a strong season despite the mediocre sack totals. Operating opposite Sweat, Bosa would actually give the Bears a much-improved front. We'll see what Poles thinks, though, in the coming days.