The Chicago Bears have plenty of names to keep their eye on as they look to improve their roster in free agency. After a disappointing season, the New York Jets may be making some roster changes. Who are some players that the Chicago Bears will be interested in seeing test free agency?
5. The Chicago Bears have to have an interest in Connor McGovern in free agency
An interesting name to keep an eye on in free agency will Connor McGovern. The New York Jets have started McGovern at center since 2020, but a knee cap injury in week eight of this season ended his year prematurely.
It caused the team to move on from Joe Tippman, their rookie center prospect. Tippman was drafted to sit a year and then replace McGovern, so the injury should only ensure that he will be hitting free agency this offseason.
If this is the case, the Chicago Bears have to be interested. The injury is bad, but the timing should have him ready to go for next year. There are not going to be many centers with his combination of experience and skill at the top of his game in this free agency period.
The Bears do not have any options at center right now, so they have to be interested in all options. They should be doing their homework on his injury history right now.
4-2. There are defensive linemen on the New Yorks that the Chicago Bears need to have interest in
The New York Jets had a loaded defensive line last year. They may try to keep some of these names, but their line had so much depth that they could lose all three of these linemen and would not hurt the team much. All three could help the Chicago Bears.
Solomon Thomas is a really interesting option. He did not live up to his draft status as the number three overall pick behind Mitch Trubisky, but he does have inside and outside versatility and has turned his career around to be a solid rotational lineman.
If Thomas was drafted in round three instead of pick three, his reputation would be much different right now. Thomas would be an excellent depth addition to the defensive line that also plays DeMarcus Walker and Gervon Dexter inside and outside.
Quinton Jefferson is 31 years old and has been on a different team in each of the last four years. Still, he would be a great rotational piece who could replace Justin Jones.
Carl Lawson appears to have been slowed down by injury, but as a depth edge rusher, he would still be looked at as an upgrade over what Rasheem Green gave the team last year.
The Chicago Bears' defensive line was still the weak link of their defense last year, so adding any of these names as depth options makes plenty of sense.
1. Could Jordan Whitehead replace Eddie Jackson for the Chicago Bears?
If the Chicago Bears plan to release Eddie Jackson, one name that they have to keep an eye on is Jordan Whitehead. Whitehead started his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but really broke out with the New York Jets over the last two years.
The scheme fit was great, but Whitehead has shown to be a quality, versatile safety. He has typically played the deep safety role but has moved into the box more recently. With that said, he may not be the best fit next to Jaquan Brisker, but the two grew up in the Pittsburgh area together, and Whitehead may have a real interest in playing next to him.
Whitehead is about three years younger than Jackson, has a better injury track record, and is coming off of a better year. With all of that said the money the Bears save from releasing Jackson could easily go to Whitehead this offseason.