A few Bears-adjacent transactions crossed the wire over the weekend with a pair of 2022 team members jumping to other teams.
Running back Darrynton Evans is heading back to the AFC South and joining the Indianapolis Colts. Evans was a waiver claim last spring, but didn’t factor much into the offense (just 49 offensive snaps). At least he has fond memories in Chicago and has a nice lil’ giveaway as he leaves town. Meanwhile, tight end Trevon Wesco is taking his talents to the Tennessee Titans. With the Bears fortifying the running backs room by signing D’Onta Foreman and doing the same at tight end with the Robert Tonyan signing, these aren’t losses this team will feel in the short term. However, it did get me thinking about what is left in free agency.
And with that in mind, ESPN’s Mike Clay has a free agency cheat sheet that I think will come in handy:
Pro tip: You’ll want to open the image in a new tab, then use the magnifier to highlight names in certain position groups. This way, you’ll be able to best check out who’s available. When you do, you might have a similar reaction to me when I did. Because there are some names on this list who pique my interest as possible Bears fits.
Sure, there are high-profile names like Carson Wentz, Ezekiel Elliott, Odell Beckham Jr., and others. But this feels like a time when the Bears are better off avoiding names with star power and instead focusing on unearthing better fits for their roster. These are the names that catch my eyes:
- TE Maxx Williams โ Once dubbed a ‘secret superstar’ by PFF ahead of the 2022 season, Williams makes sense as a possible TE3 target.
- OTs Billy Turner and Cameron Fleming โ If the Bears are still searching for veteran O-line help, both Fleming and Turner have positional flexibility (plus starting experience) going for them.
- DEs Jadeveon Clowney โ I can see the Bears waiting out this market and adding someone with starting experience on a one-year “prove it” deal. Old friend Leonard Floyd is also on the list of free agent DEs. The scheme and coaches have changed since he was last around, but his ability to set the edge as a run defender while still getting to the QB from time-to-time are quality traits.
- CBs Rock Ya-Sin โ We’ve brought up Ya-Sin’s name before as a fit. Last year, the Bears brought in Tavon Young to compete for the slot corner job. And while Ya-Sin might be a better fit outside, perhaps it is in the cards for the Bears to roll the dice on another corner on a “prove it” deal. Hey, it worked with the Bears and Prince Amukamara in 2017. It would be nice to see history repeat itself.
- K Robbie Gould โ Hey, he said he is open to a reunion. Just saying!
The “frenzy” of the “free agency frenzy” is over. But the Bears still have a 90-player roster to fill out. And even though the NFL Draft (and the UDFA free agency wildness that follows) is coming up, this team still has a long way to go toward ironing out a roster it’ll take to training camp. After all, the offseason roster churn never ends.
Between this time of year and the time preseason Week 1 came around last year, the Bears brought in a bunch of free agents. Let’s remember some names, shall we?
- OL Dakota Dozier
- DB Dane Cruikshank
- TE Ryan Griffin
- LB Matt Adams
- TE James O’Shaughnessy
- CB Tavon Young
- WR David Moore
- CB Greg Stroman Jr.
- OL Juliรฉn Davenport
- OL Riley Reiff
- OL Michael Schofield
That’s a who’s who of depth signings. And if history teaches us anything, it is that there are more signings like this coming on the horizon. Ultimately, we have known that free agency wasn’t ending mid-March. So why not get a head start on some names we might need to get familiar with in the future?