Chicago Bears Free Agency: Poles Starts Free Agency With a Surprise

With free agency starting, new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles surprised many with his first signing.

Well, the NFL free agency is upon us. Well, not officially, but the legal tampering period is underway. Many Chicago Bears fans waited anxiously to see what new general manager Ryan Poles does in his first free agency with the team.

Poles made his first free agent signing and it was a surprise to many. Despite saying he prioritized the offensive line and wide receivers this offseason, he went out and signed defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. The details of the contract are three years, $40.6 million, with $26.35 million in guaranteed money.

It took Bears fans of kilter when the announcement came. After what Poles said, people were just waiting to see what offensive players’ names would be announced as new Chicago Bears.

Instead, Poles solidified the defensive line.

While many fans were upset that Poles didn’t address what they considered were the biggest team needs (yet), Poles did address a need. With the earlier announcement that the Bears released Eddie Goldman, and with the odds of signing Akiem Hicks small, Chicago needed to address the defensive tackle spot.

Ogunjobi is arguably the best defensive tackle on the market and the Bears snatched him up. Furthermore, they pick him up at his prime.

With the Bears switching to a 4-3 base defensive scheme, they needed a 3-technique tackle. The 3 Technique is the defensive positioning where the defensive linemen place themselves on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard. They will be shaded toward the offensive tackle on that side of the field.

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This is something used almost entirely in the 4-3 base scheme. The Bears got themselves a player who plays it well.

Ogunjobi was instrumental in helping the Cincinnati Bengals reach the Super Bowl this past season. For the season, he recorded 49 tackles (12 for loss), 7 sacks (career-high), and 16 quarterback hits.

The Bears have themselves a quality player. He has speed, power, and a high motor. He rushes the passer well and stuffs the run. In short, Ogunjobi is a disruptive force on the interior.

This play shows what the #Bears getting out of Larry Ogunjobi.

Speed. Power. Effort. He can rush the passer and stuff the run. He’s a true three-down DL. pic.twitter.com/SyhIIqX5XB

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) March 14, 2022

Ogunjobi has a chance to have the same impact on the team that Hicks had when he came to the Bears. He is 27 years old now and has some good years ahead of him. Furthermore, having him pressure up front will help the pass rushers, Robert Quinn and (likely) Trevis Gipson, wreak havoc on the quarterbacks. That, in turn, helps out the secondary.

It is a recipe that helped in 2021. Despite having a less-than-stellar secondary, the Bears ranked third in passing yards allowed because the pressure up front got to the quarterback. The Bears finished fourth in the league in sacks with 49.

However, this was just the first move of many. The team has a lot of holes to fill and about 60 percent of the roster is empty. He still needs more work to do.

This first move, however, was a very good one by Poles. Let’s see if he continues a good job.