As the NFL entered its new year, it also marked the start of the legal tampering period of NFL Free Agency. A recent increase in the salary cap gave the Chicago Bears about $80 million to spend, and the Bears fans were optimistic that the Bears were ready to pay before the NFL Draft. It would have been such a welcoming change from the endless bickering about what the team should do at the quarterback position.
Instead, the fans are frustrated and left underwhelmed with the free agents the Bears have signed as of March 14.
Within a minute of the NFL new year, they immediately signed running back D'Andre Swift to a 3-year, $24 million contract. The Bears were linked to both Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley leading up to free agency, so it probably shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that they signed a running back.
On Day 2, it looked like another quiet day before they signed Gerald Everett, a tight end with the Los Angeles Rams last season, to a 2-year, $12 million deal. He is familiar with the Bears' new offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, from their time with the Los Angeles Rams(2017-20) and Seattle(2021). New receivers coach Chris Beatty with the Los Angeles Chargers last season and gives the Bears a decent TE2 option as Waldron will run more than 12 personnel in 2024.
They closed out Tuesday by signing former Packer safety Jonathan Owens to a modest 2-year $4.5 million deal. The idea of signing another former Packer cast off as they did with Robert Tonyan last season, who did not do much might scare some fans. Owens was brought in to provide veteran depth in the secondary.
Day 3 additions were about improving their depth as they signed quarterback Brett Rypien, linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, and offensive lineman Matt Pryor. And the Bears signed center
Coleman Sheldon to a 1-year deal to be their starting center. He started 30 games the last two years for the Los Angeles Rams, and because of his familiarity with the offensive scheme Waldron will incorporate, we can only he can make us all forget Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick.