Chicago Bears fans are clinging onto hope that general manager Ryan Poles will finally bring in an edge rusher who can help pressure the quarterback, with some options still out there.
While everyone would love to have Maxx Crosby in a trade, it might be more realistic to look at free agency to see who could help. FanSided's Wynston Wilcox named five free agents the most overlooked, with the perfect landing spot for each. Wilcox had the Bears as the perfect spot for former Chargers and Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa.
"San Francisco, Seattle and even the Detroit Lions could be interested in a player like Bosa. For the Bears, he’d be their second pass rusher behind Montez Sweat, who still has some juice remaining but also needs a running mate. Bosa would be the perfect short-term solution.
The Bears get an improvement on defense while also looking like a team that could contend with the rest of the NFC. Chicago’s biggest problem last year was not generating enough pressure on the defensive line. They could be a player for Maxx Crosby toward the trade deadline, but until then, Bosa is their best option."
Should the Bears really bring in Joey Bosa or look elsewhere?
There's the old saying from the classic comedy "Mean Girls" that fits perfectly with this situation: "Stop trying to make fetch happen. It's not going to happen."
Poles has made it crystal clear that he wants to move forward with the edge rushers that are in the current room. If he didn't trade someone, sign a free agent, or draft one at this point, he has no intention of doing so.
Instead, Poles is banking on either Austin Booker or Dayo Odeyingbo to be the guys they hope to be in 2026. Booker showed potential with 4.5 sacks in 10 games, but Odeyingbo had one sack in eight games after being given $48 million over the next three years by the Bears last offseason.
Another part of this equation is Bosa. From what the reports sound like over the last month, he doesn't seem to be in a rush to get back on the football field. Could he be done with the NFL? Also, he's very injury-prone, which is the last thing the Bears need after losing Booker and Odeyingbo for long stretches last year.
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At this point, the Bears are better off waiting until the trade deadline to see what the situation is before entertaining the idea of signing a free agent or trading for someone like Crosby. Money and time have already been invested in this edge rusher group, so the Bears want to see it through. Bears fans will see whether that's the right choice.
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