Five years ago, the Chicago Bears had a couple of veteran pass rushers on the roster, which fans would kill to have now. The team's current weakness was once a strength when the Bears boasted both Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, with solid depth behind them.
After the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bears looked like they could have found a gem to add to that group as well. When Charles Snowden went from a standout at the University of Virginia to suddenly undrafted, Chicago scooped him up, and fans were immediately high on his potential.
After just one season with the Bears in 2021, where he appeared in two games, though, Snowden would spend the summer of 2022 in Chicago before being waived.
Fast forward to the present day, and Snowden has spent the past two and a half years with the Las Vegas Raiders, mostly as a reserve and practice-squad player.
Just earlier this week, though, he was waived by Vegas.
Could the Chicago Bears bring back an old friend to try and bolster their pass rush depth?
While Bears fans may have forgotten about Snowden since he was let go from Chicago, his past couple of seasons weren't exactly nothing.
In 2024, Snowden played 38 percent of defensive snaps. Last year, that dipped down to 32 percent. But, again, that isn't a player who never saw the field. Snowden was clearly trusted enough to be on the field at times, along with a guy like Maxx Crosby giving him pointers, and maybe he could find himself back with the Bears if the stars align.
It makes sense for the Raiders to have cut Snowden after Las Vegas completely revamped its defense this offseason. Under a new coaching staff, the Raiders figured they'd be Crosby-less, but of course that didn't happen as planned, and now they have far more in that pass rush room than they thought they would.
The Bears, on the other hand, are still looking for another notable starter to trust opposite Montez Sweat. Now, Snowden isn't going to be that guy. But, it would certainly be a Bears move to go out and sign someone like Snowden rather than pursuing Joey Bosa or Cameron Jordan.
This isn't to say Snowden is a bad player, but the Bears adding more rotational guys to the fold rather than making a much stronger signing wouldn't exactly be an anti-Ryan Poles move. Bears fans are used to Poles putting off major needs for years on end.
Read more: Bears' Ryan Poles just watched another free agent pass rusher slip away
Could Snowden try to keep his career going in Chicago? It's always worth a shot to at least bring him into camp and see what he's got left.
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