Chicago Bears Free Agency: Identifying the best defensive free agents at each position

Linebacker must also be a priority for the Chicago Bears this offseason

We saw Ryan Poles and Roquan Smith battle it out in the press last year. Well, that was more just Smith as Poles kept everything internal for the most part. You can tell he was not thrilled with how the situation played out, but at least he received some draft capital in return. The Ravens gave Smith a bag and even though he is a great linebacker, I'm glad Chicago isn't paying him that much. Jack Sanborn took over and proved he should have been drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft instead of being an undrafted free agent. Now, the Bears need to find Sanborn a compliment.

Nicholas Morrow should not be that guy. Instead, let's look at some names of players who could be worth adding this offseason.

• Bobby Okereke
• Devin Bush
• Anthony Walker
• Cory Littleton
• Alex Anzalone
• Denzel Perryman
• Kwon Alexander
• T.J. Edwards

My Bears Choice: Devin Bush

I know that I am going to shock people with this one, but the Bears cannot spend large amounts of money on an off-the-ball linebacker. That's why Roquan Smith is no longer here. Bobby Okereke is easily the best choice here. He is familiar with Matt Eberflus' system and is coming off a career year. That career year is going to cost and reports are he's going to see a market in the $10 to $12 million range. If Okereke costs any more than $8 million per year, Poles can spend that money in better places elsewhere.

Devin Bush has not looked as good since his rookie year. I think Bush would do well as the Will linebacker next to Jack Sanborn. He has 4.4x speed and would be able to fly around and make big plays. No matter who they sign though, I think they should look to add a player in the draft as well.