The New England Patriots are going to be shaking up the front office this offseason with a new head coach for the first time in a long time. It could leave some murky free agent situations for the Chicago Bears to take advantage of.
Which players on the New England Patriots could end up being with the Chicago Bears next season?
3. Could the Chicago Bears sign Kendrick Bourne
The Chicago Bears have a serious need at wide receiver. While Kendrick Bourne would not answer everything, he would bring a bit of an upgrade to the room. Bourne would essentially be signed to play the role that Equanimeous St. Brown filled. He is good at blocking and can run routes that open up others.
Better than that, Bourne has 840 yards over the last two seasons, while St. Brown has just 385 yards. He is a much more productive receiver. Bourne is going to get a little more than St. Brown, but the Bears have the cap space, and it is not like Bourne is going to change the market in any way based on what he is making.
If Bourney is already better than St. Brown, there is an argument that he would step in currently as the number two wide receiver on the roster. In a perfect world, he may be the number four, but the Bears need to start somewhere, and it could be him. Keep an eye on Kendrick Bourne to see if the New England Patriots let him walk in free agency.
2. The Chicago Bears should have eyes on Josh Uche
Josh Uche would be an interesting fit for the Chicago Bears at edge rusher. In 2022, he had an 11.5 sack season, and while he had a good pressure number in 2023, his sacks dropped to three. In the three years outside of 2022, he has just seven sacks. Still, he has 93 pressures over the last two years, and 37 of them came last season. He had production at times, even when it did not show.
With that in mind, his market value is going to be fascinating. As a situational pass rusher, he would be a lot of fun in the Chicago Bears scheme. The big question with Uche is that he often can play off of the ball or at least rush in a lot of various blitzing looks where the Bears like to rush four primarily. Is this a scheme fit, and what does Uche expect in an open market?
This is a talented rusher at times, so his market has to be watched by Chicago Bears fans.
1. Could the Chicago Bears sign Anfernee Jennings from the New England Patriots
While Josh Uche is a little more intriguing as a rusher, Anfernee Jennings fits the Chicago Bears scheme more as an outside, hand-in-the-dirt rusher who could set the edge on rushing downs. The good news is that he is going to sign for cheap as well. Jennings was a rookie in 2020, he missed all of 2021 and has three sacks in the last two years.
Still, he went from 11 pressures and a 4.6% pass rush win rate in 2022 to 21 pressures and a 6.5% pass rush win rate last year. Neither of those is great, but the team is looking at him to fill in the role of Rasheem Green. They are not looking for a superstar. He is coming off of his rookie contract, he appears to be healthy, and he is better than the depth they currently have. It is worth looking into for the Chicago Bears.