One of the most blatant issues for this Chicago Bears team, over the course of the regular season, was their inability to rush the passer. It's no coincidence, either.
General manager Ryan Poles has not done nearly enough to give that position group a boost. It is also no coincidence that the Bears' pass rush has suffered since the team opted to trade former All-Pro, Khalil Mack.
Speaking of Mack, after the L.A. Chargers' Wild Card loss on Sunday night, he had to start fielding questions about his NFL future.
Mack told ESPN Chargers beat reporter Kris Rhim that he was "still processing" the Chargers' playoff loss but added he wanted to "retire a champion."
"I'm going to take it day by day and figure it out. I love this game."
Soon to be 35 years old, Mack is coming off a 1-year deal he signed with the Chargers.
Khalil Mack wants to play for a contender, and a return to the Bears makes too much sense
First off, let's be real here. If the Bears went out and signed Mack, at this stage in his career, he would not be the end-all, be-all type of fix this franchise is looking for.
Now, as another pass rusher added to the fold, opposite Montez Sweat and with Austin Booker coming along, he'd be a welcomed addition.
Let me be perfectly clear, here, though: the Bears still need to add a premier rookie pass rusher.
There is no beating around the bush. Dayo Odeyingbo looked like a failed experiment even before his season-ending injury. Sweat is as inconsistent as any pass rusher in this league. And, again, Mack is turning 35 years old in February.
But, adding as much talent to the position as possible makes a lot of sense, and that might include Mack.
We don't know, yet, just how far these Bears can go with their defense as-is. But, we do know that they've been good enough to get as far as the NFC Divisional Round.
Over the course of the offseason, Poles should be revamping this defense in a massive way. The offense is essentially set. But, they'll need to evaluate almost every position aside from maybe the linebackers. That means, Mack is in play.
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If he says he would only want to play for a contender, how about coming back to finish what he started seven years ago?