Chicago Bears Could Pry Pro Bowler From Eagles To Help Defense

One of the Chicago Bears‘ priorities this offseason is the improvement of the defensive front. They need to put more pressure on the quarterback and plug up the middle so opposing running backs don’t gash them.

Winning in the trenches is critical for a team to have success. The offensive and defensive lines have to perform well. Those two units struggled for Chicago in 2022. General manager Ryan Poles wants to change that.

In this article, we’ll talk about the defense. There is talk about whether Poles goes after EDGE rusher Will Anderson Jr or defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Expect Poles to fill both positions. He’ll acquire one via free agency. Then, he’ll go with the position he didn’t get. If he signs a defensive tackle, for example, then he will draft Anderson.

This is something I expect Poles to do. He’ll get a veteran defensive tackle in free agency, then get their man Anderson.

Poles enters the new league year with the highest salary cap space in the league. That means he could be in on any player he wants. While he won’t go on a wild spending spree, there could be one or two players he absolutely covets and therefore do what he can to get his players.

Poles could go after a Pro Bowl-caliber player

Should Poles decide to go after a defensive tackle, there could be one very attractive option. Javon Hargrave of the Philadelphia Eagles might be available.

Hargrave was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-round pick in 2016. In 2020, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had a productive time with the Eagles. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021, registering 7.5 sacks and 63 tackles (9 for loss).

Despite not making the Pro Bowl in 2022, he arguably had an even better game. He had 11 sacks and 60 tackles (10 for loss).

While he was an integral part of the Eagles Super Bowl run, Philadelphia drafted Jordan Davis in 2022. The Eagles likely won’t be able to afford to keep Hargrave. They have just about $7.3 million in salary cap space. Hargrave will command a big contract so Poles would have a leg up on acquiring him.

This is what David Kenyon of Bleacher Report wrote recently about Hargrave and his status.

Among the Eagles’ many excellent players, Hargrave has become a force in the middle of the defensive line. It’s possible Hargrave has played his way beyond the Eagles’ financial limitations. Philly has 2022 first-round selection Jordan Davis ready to occupy a larger role. He and Hargrave can coexist up front, but the Eagles could instead lean on Davis and a less expensive player.

Remember, the one big name that Poles went after last year was Larry Ogunjobi. A failed physical negated the deal, though. Head coach Matt Eberflus stated a number of times the need for a big-time player in the middle of the defensive line. The Bears could get done this year what they failed to do last year.

Bears could have an elite line in 2023

Imagine a defensive line with Hargrave in the middle and Anderson at the edge. That would give the Bears a greatly improved line. They’ll have a line that can both get after the quarterback in addition to stopping the run. Add to that an already improved secondary and we could once again see a strong defense that puts a lot of pressure on opposing offenses.

We saw how Poles improved the secondary last year. However, no matter how good the secondary is, if the guys up front cannot put pressure on the quarterback he will just eventually find an open receiver. If the guys up front cannot stop the runs then the secondary will spend their time tackling ball carriers downfield after they gain huge patches of yards.

We could see the return of the Monsters of the Midway with Hargrave in the middle of it all.