Chicago Bears: Free Agent Linebackers Team Could Target

The Chicago Bears have a need at linebacker. Here are a few players they could target.

A team with nine total victories in the last two seasons most assuredly has a lot of holes on the roster. The Chicago Bears roster looks like swiss cheese with all their holes.

General manager Ryan Poles has the tools to fill those holes. He has about $100 million available in salary cap space and eight draft picks, including the number one overall pick. That means he can rebuild the team in a shorter period of time than most expect.

One of the holes Chicago has is at linebacker. With the trade of Roquan Smith, the hole became a gaping one. Smith is one of the NFL’s top linebackers, and his absence is felt. However, with all the other holes, Poles didn’t feel he could afford to pay a linebacker $20 million per season and still be able to build the roster properly.

With Smith gone, the Bears moved Nicholas Morrow from the middle linebacker position to the weakside and had rookie Jack Sanborn start in the middle. Sanborn did a good job there until an injury cut short his season.

Now the linebackers unit seems like a mess. They have questions at all three starting spots. Morrow and Matthew Adams, the two outside linebackers, are free agents. Poles has to decide if he wants to bring either of them back. Additionally, he has to decide whether Sanborn did enough to be considered a starter.

In addition to that, there isn’t much depth. Poles has to use both free agency and the draft to overhaul the unit. The Bears will be busy acquiring linebackers to change the look of the linebackers room.

Many people expect Poles to use the draft to improve the linebackers unit. However, who he chooses depends on what he does in free agency. He will go after linebackers that way as well. After he makes his moves, he’ll have a better idea of who he goes after in the draft.

Here are some linebackers the Chicago Bears could target via free agency.

Devin Bush, Pittsburgh Steelers

Devin Bush burst onto the scene in 2019. He was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick (10th overall). The Steelers felt they made a great choice when he finished third for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Things were tough since then, however. In 2020, he suffered an injury and only played in five games. He bounced back a little in 2021 but didn’t look like the same player. He looked a little better in 2022.

Now Bush enters free agency. While Poles didn’t want to break the bank for Smith, signing Bush isn’t necessary. Teams will still be wondering how much he is over his injury before rewarding him with a big contract. Spotrac puts his market value at one-year, $3 million.

Bush could give the Bears some added depth, something they lack. He could be depended upon to be a spot starter. If Poles decides to go the low-cost route at middle linebacker, Bush and Sanborn could compete for the starting job and the loser gives the Bears a solid backup.

Lorenzo Carter, Atlanta Falcons

Lorenzo Carter can provide some help on the outside. He can put some pressure on the quarterback. That is something the Chicago Bears desperately need.

In the past two seasons, Carter registered nine sacks. If he can put some pressure on the quarterback, it helps the guys up front. If the opponent has to account for Carter, then that frees up some space for whoever the defensive end is playing.

Tremaine Edmunds, Buffalo Bills

The linebackers market in 2023 is very thin. Tremaine Edmunds, however, would likely be the top option in any year. He is one of the top linebackers in the league and he will only be 25 when the season begins.

The Buffalo Bills will try to do whatever they can to re-sign Edmunds, including using the franchise tag. They, however, are $18.7 million over the salary cap so they’ll have to make a lot of big decisions.

Should the Bills be unable to keep Edmunds, the Chicago Bears have to jump all over him. He and Smith have both succeeded but Edmunds’ price tag will be lower than what Smith wanted.

Edmunds has been an integral part of Buffalo’s defensive success. He could step up in Chicago and continue his stellar play and help turn the defense back to an elite level.