NFC North free agents the Bears could sign to join D'Andre Swift

On Day 1 of NFL free agency, the Chicago Bears made a notable signing, which also happened to be the first signing announced throughout the league.

Chicago agreed to terms with former Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift on a 3-year, $24 million deal. Swift, of course, is a former member of the Detroit Lions after being drafted in the second round back in 2020.

Later on Day 1 of free agency, the Green Bay Packers released Aaron Jones, who quickly then signed with the Minnesota Vikings. This had fans talking about the craziness which has ensued amongst NFC North running backs, with David Montgomery of course choosing to leave Chicago for the Lions.

With the division playing a bit of running back shuffle, here, that got us thinking. What are some other currently-available free agents within the division which the Bears could pursue?

Notable NFC North free agents available for the Bears to sign

David Bakhtiari, OT (GB)
Keisean Nixon, CB/KR (GB)
A.J. Dillon, RB (GB)
Josiah Deguara, TE (GB)
Jonathan Owens, S (GB)
Zayne Anderson, S (GB)
Eric Wilson, LB (GB)
Danielle Hunter, EDGE (MIN)
Alexander Mattison, RB (MIN)
Dalton Risner, G (MIN)
Oli Udoh, T (MIN)
Cam Akers, RB (MIN)
Joshua Dobbs, QB (MIN)
Anthony Barr, LB (MIN)
Khyiris Tonga, DT (MIN)
Brandon Powell, WR (MIN)
K.J. Osborn, WR (MIN)
Romeo Okwara, DE (DET)
Charles Harris, DE (DET)
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, DB (DET)
Halapoulivaati Vaitai, G (DET)
Josh Reynolds, WR (DET)
Julian Okwara, LB (DET)
Benito Jones, DT (DET)
Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR (DET)
Tracy Walker, S (DET)

Some of the more notable names, here, are obviously pass rusher Danielle Hunter among the rest of the defensive ends. Chicago needs to add another pass rusher opposite Montez Sweat, and they've long been linked to Hunter as a possible free agency pairing. Giving Sweat a running mate like Hunter could further launch this Bears defense into being a firm, top-5 unit in all of football.

The Bears could also use a wide receiver, especially after seeing Darnell Mooney sign with the Atlanta Falcons. K.J. Osborn and Josh Reynolds are both solid WR2/WR3 options for Chicago, and then the Bears could pursue a first-round talent at the position as well in the upcoming draft.

After Day 1 only saw the Bears make the notable move of agreeing with Swift, Ryan Poles figures to be more active as free agency wears on. Chicago still has almost $58 million in cap space to work with, which is one of the highest numbers in the NFL at the moment.