The Chicago Bears are going to need to sign an edge rusher this offseason. One free agent option who may be an underrated fit for the Bears is Marcus Davenport. Davenport is going to come at a team-friendly salary but has the upside of a big-name free agent.
Should the Chicago Bears sign Marcus Davenport in free agency this offseason?
Davenport has been up-and-down throughout his entire career. He posted 10.5 sacks in his first two NFL seasons. As a former first-round pick, his stock was up. However, he posted just 1.5 sacks in 2020.
After a nine-sack season in 2021 showed that he may have the projected high-end upside he posted just 0.5 sacks in a big contract year. Davenport signed for less than anticipated with the Minnesota Vikings and had an even more disappointing year. Davenport had two sacks in four games before an ankle injury ended his season.
So, Davenport is at his lowest point. Injury questions linger, and his least productive two years are the last things that everyone has seen. However, beyond that, he is just 28 years old and will be one of the few free-agent pass rushers who truly has the potential to hit 10 sacks. More than that, he has always brought a run-defense floor.
Davenport had a bad time in Minnesota, but it may entice him to go to Chicago and make his old team see what he had. For the Chicago Bears, they bet big on Yannick Ngakoue, a higher-risk, higher-reward option, and it blew up in their face. However, Davenport is coming off of a year where he made far less than Ngakoue and had a worse year production-wise.
The Chicago Bears can bet on a similar rusher with far less money committed to Davenport this offseason. Should the Bears make this signing?