5 free agents Bears must target after NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft saw the Chicago Bears come away with maybe the best-case scenario in the first round, and fans roared as they saw both Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze unite as teammates.

General manager Ryan Poles was able to land his obvious franchise quarterback, but also the wide receiver of the future for this roster as well. It was as good as you could ask for if you're a Bears fan.

Now that the draft is in the rear view, though, the Bears need to work on filling out their roster. There are some positions they didn't necessarily get a chance to address in a highly-impactful way during the draft, so these few free agents would make a lot of sense for Poles to go after at this point.

The Bears still need to address some positions, specifically edge rusher, via veteran free agency

Even though the Bears addressed the pass rush by trading up and selecting Austin Booker, the depth is still questionable behind Montez Sweat. Let's kick off a few free agent options with a pair of pass rushers.

Emmanuel Ogbah, DE

The first of two potential edge rusher signings would come by way of the Miami Dolphins. Veteran Emmanuel Ogbah notched 9.0 sacks in each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons before he saw his production dwindle a bit. He's coming off 5.5 sacks in 2023 and would be a solid rotational rusher and even potential starter in Chicago.

Yannick Ngakoue, DE

An easy signing would be to bring back Yannick Ngakoue and give him another shot at becoming the guy they thought he would be last year. Ngakoue finished 2023 with a career-worst 4.0 sacks after never ending a year with less than 8.0 previously. Maybe the momentum this defense generated and the direction the Bears are now heading could be more of a motivating factor for the veteran, who wouldn't cost much to bring back now.

Mark Glowinski, G

The Bears definitely need to think about the future of their interior offensive line. Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis may or may not be the future, there, for multiple reasons. The center position seems to have been fixed with a couple of Band-AID types for now, which is fine. But, veteran Mark Glowinski would be worth signing. He's a better run blocker than pass blocker, but as a reserve, he would suffice.

Marcedes Lewis, TE

The Bears could use a TE3 and, if he's still not ready to hang up the cleats, then why not bring back Marcedes lewis on another one-year deal? He's a phenomenal leader and locker room presence. He loves the game. And, he's still one of the best blockers at his position, despite being almost 40 years old.

Jalen Guyton, WR

Wide receiver is no longer a pressing need, but filling out the depth chart and finding the WR5 and potentially WR6 is still a question mark. Former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Jalen Guyton would be worth bringing in on a veteran's minimum type deal, and he'd have a legitimate shot at earning a roster position.