Prioritizing the Chicago Bears player-acquisition strategies after their big trade

The Chicago Bears will be lucky to find great free agent pass rushers

The next big factor that really muddies the waters is that the Bears need to acquire two starting quality defensive ends this offseason. Given their circumstances, the best the Bears can hope to field is one very good pass rusher along with one good pass rusher. The best route to go for pass rushers gets murky when you consider that the 2023 free agent pass rushers are good but not great at sacking and pressuring the QB.

There is a path to the Bears upgrading their left tackle position and also drafting a very good pass rusher. There have been rumors that Ryan Poles is interested in signing Orlando Brown Jr. The two negatives to him are that one, he would cost them 20M+ per year. The other knock against him is that he is not all that athletic for a left tackle. This is a problem because the Bears' wide zone running scheme works best with athletic offensive linemen.

However, maybe Poles will overlook this if he can lock down Justin Fields blindside while also being able to draft a defensive end with the ninth pick. Regarding this scenario, at this point, I will believe it when I see it but I would like it. The probable downside to signing Orlando Brown Jr. is that the Bears would likely not bring back David Montgomery. I want to keep Montgomery in Chicago because along with his pass-blocking and receiving skills, he also is a leader on a young offense that likely needs as much veteran leadership as it can get.