This offseason hasn't been the most exciting for the Chicago Bears, as they haven't made quite the same moves they did last year.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has so far been able to trade for center Garrett Bradbury after Drew Dalman retired and signed some key defensive players, including safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush. Sports Illustrated NFL writer Gilberto Manzano gave the Bears a C+ grade for their free agency so far.
"The Bears adjusted well to Drew Dalman’s surprise retirement by executing the trade for Bradbury. He might not be as good as Dalman, but Bradbury provided stability for a young offensive line that advanced to the Super Bowl last season. However, Chicago is counting on its young pass catchers to make up for the departure of DJ Moore. As for the defense, the unit gained two versatile playmakers in Bush and Bryant."
Bears given lukewarm grade for free agency
To Poles' credit, he made some nice moves on defense without completely breaking the bank. Most Bears fans want him to go all out on getting Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards right now, even though he has mentioned that he is "checking in."
The problem right now is that the Bears have only $1 million in cap space, so there really isn't much they can do. Poles have to look at restructuring contracts, cutting players, or trading them away to create any kind of cap space.
Chicago is most likely going to do a lot of damage in the NFL Draft and select players at key positions. The Bears have to fill positions such as edge rusher, safety, defensive tackle, linebacker, and wide receiver.
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No, it hasn't been a dream offseason for the Bears, but last year's success in the NFL Draft should give Bears fans hope that they can make something happen still.