The Chicago Bears should be beginning to look at other teams rosters to see who has players that may be cut or may enter free agency this offseason. The Arizona Cardinals are a team that is going through some roster changes, and they may have some names available. Who on the Cardinals should the Bears have interest in signing?
5. Should the Chicago Bears sign Marquise Brown in free agency?
Marquise Brown is hitting free agency at the worst time. Brown peaked with 1,008 yards in 2021, but he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals the year after that, and things did not take off. He had 709 yards in 2022, dealing with a few injuries along the way. Then, he posted just 574 yards in a year that featured injuries for himself and fluctuated at quarterback in a big way.
So, the Cardinals may try to re-sign him, but he may have no interest in returning. This would make him one of the most prized free agents in the NFL. He may get a decent payday on the open market, but the Bears can afford it. More than that, the receiver is by far their biggest need. They are going to be losing Darnell Mooney in free agency, and Brown would be the best replacement for him. If the Bears hired Kliff Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator, it would reunite the two, and Kingsbury was one of the main reasons Brown was in Arizona to begin with.
He is a perfect fit next to D.J. Moore, and if he hits free agency, the Bears to have serious interest. Will this be the big move the Bears make this offseason?
4-3. The Chicago Bears could have interest in Tyrstan Colon-Castillo or Elijah Wilkinson
The Arizona Cardinals will be losing two potential free agents who played on the offensive line last year. The Chicago Bears are starting to sort out their offensive line, but they should not stop looking into the depth, and they have to keep adding to the position. Two targets from the Arizona Cardinals would be Trystan Colon or Elijah Wilkinson.
Wilkinson was with the Chicago Bears as recently as 2021. He was with Atlanta in 2022 and Arizona last year. Before Chicago, he spent four years with the Denver Broncos. Overall, he has 1,433 snaps at right tackle, 1,075 snaps at left guard, 505 snaps at right guard, and 35 snaps at left tackle. He would be a super utility depth piece that is needed, especially with the versatile Cody Whitehair out of the picture.
Trystan Colon started with the Baltimore Ravens but played his most snaps last year with the Arizona Cardinals. Still, he also has snaps around the line. Colon has played 315 snaps at left guard, 251 snaps at center, and 53 at right guard. The center snaps by Colon have to intrigue the Bears, who currently do not have a starting center, let alone anyone, to be a depth option.
Are these two depth linemen worthy of the Chicago Bears signing?
2-1. The Chicago Bears may have interest in these two free-agent Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals have two defenders that the Chicago Bears could be interested in in free agency. Leki Fotu is a defensive tackle who was drafted by the Cardinals but not by this front office. Fotu started for the first 11 weeks of the season, but a broken bone in his hand ended his year early.
The Bears are likely to lose Justin Jones in free agency. Zacch Pickens and Gervon Dexter need to step into bigger roles, so the Bears will not need a bigger name replacement. Rather, they should try to find a backup to Andrew Billings at nose tackle. This is where Fotu would be a great fit.
At cornerback, it will be interesting to see how much money Antonio Hamilton makes on an open market. He is 31 years old, but at stretches of the year, he was the Cardinals' best cornerback. That does not say much when you look at their room as a whole, but if the Bears end up moving on from Jaylon Johnson in some way, they could bring in Hamilton this offseason.