5 free agent situations on Carolina Panthers for Chicago Bears to follow

As the Chicago Bears start to turn their eyes toward free agency, there are situations on every team that will play out over the next few weeks that may shake up the free-agent situation. It may put the Bears in a good position to acquire some serious talent for their roster. 

Which players on the Carolina Panthers could end up being with the Chicago Bears next season?

5. The Chicago Bears have to have eyes on the Brian Burns situation 

This is obviously the player to watch. The Chicago Bears almost acquired Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers last year but went all-in on D.J. Moore instead. Now, Burns is a current free agent. The Panthers are likely to franchise tag Burns, but at the same time, they currently do not have a General Manager, so things can change quickly.

Burns went from nine sacks in 2020 and 2021 to 12.5 sacks in 2022, only to drop back to eight sacks this past year. According to PFF, he went from 57 and 51 pressures up to 68 pressures, and this year, he had just 40. However, PFF also notes that he had the best win rate of his career, so he may not be washed up and has a good chance to bounce back. Still, the down year may depress his market slightly compared to last year. 

More than that, given the lack of assets that the Panthers possess, they may be inclined to tag and trade Burns. It will be a completely new staff with no ties to Burns, so he could be available soon. 

The Bears have a need an edge rusher, and the duo of Burns and Montez Sweat would be major. Can the team find a way to pull it off?