10 free agents the Chicago Bears will target in NFL Free Agency

9. The Chicago Bears have to look into Aaron Brewer in free agency 

The Chicago Bears signed Ryan Bates and there are some reports that he is going to get a chance to play center. That may be true right now, with no one else on the roster, and he may compete for the job in training camp, but the addition of Bates cannot mean that the team is done at center. First, they would have almost no depth. 

Second, relying on someone who played just 35 snaps last year to start 17 games is more foolish than signing Lucas Patrick. So, the team will be active. One name to keep an eye on is Aaron Brewer. 

Brewer played both guard and center throughout his career but won the starting job late into 2022, and entered 2023 as the unquestioned starter. Brewer played well, despite the line having trouble around him. 

With Mike Vrabel fired and a new coaching staff coming in, Brewer could be on his way out. The Chicago Bears hired the Titans' offensive line coach, Jason Houghtaling, to be their assistant offensive line coach. He does not have a major say, but he does know Brewer well.

Houghtaling was prompted from assistant OL Coach to the offensive line coach in 2023, the same time Brewer got his first chance as the full-season starter. Brewer had his best year with Houghtaling. He cannot follow Mike Vrabel anywhere, so the most familiar name for him may be Chicago. We also know the scheme fits considering Chicago went out of their way to sign his coach. 

PFF has Brewer projected to sign a three-year, $20M deal this offseason. With that contract, plus the Ryan Bates the team would not be paying anything close to what they paid Lucas Patrick and Cody Whitheair combined and they will upgrade over both.