The Chicago Bears did a lot of rebuilding on their defensive line, and now they have some pieces worth growing with. However, the job is not done, and the team needs to continue to add to the group this offseason. What could the Bears' offensive line look like after this offseason?
First, most of their building block pieces are players that were brought in last offseason, or even during the season. At Edge Rusher, the only trusted pieces are Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker. Yannick Ngakoue and Rasheem Green will be gone, and Dominique Robinson was phased out after Sweat was acquired.
So, the Bears need to add two edge rushers. Walker is solid, but he is more of a third rusher who can rotate in and play both inside and outside. The team would be smart to either pay up for a big name or draft someone in the top ten. Then, since they love Sweat, trust Walker as depth, and spend big on the next rusher, they can look for a cheaper veteran or a day-three pick to be added as a fourth edge rusher. They may even want to sign a cheap veteran and add a day-three pick to watch them compete for the fourth spot.
Along the interior, the Bears found Andrew Billings at nose tackle in free agency. The hope is that Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens showed enough as rookies and will take the step forward to make this position less of a need. It will depend on how they feel about Pickens.
The Chicago Bears must add to the defensive line this off-season.
Dexter was fine as a rookie and had pass-rush juice. Pickens was a disappointment, especially in run defense. If they think Pickens can take the next step, they just need a backup nose tackle behind Billings. That is cheap to find because the role is not overly needed. If they do not trust Pickens, he would be the backup to Billings, and they will want to spend more equity on someone who can truly platoon with Dexter at three-technique.
The most likely thought is that the team adds a high-end rusher, a depth rusher, and then a backup nose tackle as the biggest additions to the defensive line this offseason.