Chicago Bears free agency could get interesting in 2018. The team is already projected to have over $51 million in salary cap space when the market goes active March 14th. Expectations are that will grow even more with anticipated cuts still forthcoming such as Mike Glennon and Markus Wheaton among others. Depending on how deep they go, they could have upwards of $90 million to spend.
That’s more than enough to do some serious damage. Of course, that’s assuming GM Ryan Pace is up to the challenge. Thus far in the free agency department, he’s batting 1-for-3. His 2016 class was excellent but 2015 and especially 2017 came up woefully short of expectations. That average may be good for baseball, but it’s lousy when trying to build a football team.
Often in these cases, it might be wise for an organization to stick to their strengths. Not get cute. Is there a particular side of the ball or even a position group the Bears have historically had good fortune with on the free agent market? Yes, they have, and there isn’t any other remotely close to it.
Chicago Bears free agency is rich in defensive line scores
Free agency didn’t become an official thing until the 1990s but the Bears yielded results from it even before that happened. Nowhere was that clearer than at the defensive line position. No other spot on a football roster has provided more bang for the buck. While they had some success at it in the 1970s, it didn’t really begin until 1981 when they signed a foulmouthed kid from Texas named Steve McMichael.
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“Mongo” became an instant sensation in the Buddy Ryan “46” defense and one of the best interior pass rushers ever with 92.5 sacks in his Bears career. He was a core member of the fabled 1985 defense. To think the team got him so cheap after New England let him walk. The good fortune didn’t end there though. In 2001 new GM Jerry Angelo scored a major coup when he brought in giant defensive tackle Ted Washington.
With his help, the Bears run defense went from 19th to 2nd in one year. He claimed All-Pro honors his first season and the Bears finished 13-3, winning their first division title in over a decade. Then there was arguably the greatest free agent in franchise history, Julius Peppers. The stud defensive end was a giant scoop in 2010. He went to three Pro Bowls in Chicago and led them to the NFC championship his first season.
This doesn’t even count Akiem Hicks who was brilliant in 2017 and should’ve gone to the Pro Bowl. It’s a fairly strong hit rate for Chicago at this position.
The 2018 free agent class could feature strong defensive linemen
The reason this is brought up is that the 2018 crop of free agents might end up delivering quite a spread of quality defensive linemen. Leading the pack at the moment are Star Lotulelei and Sheldon Richardson. Lotulelei is a quality run stopper who has underrated interior pass rush skill. Meanwhile, Richardson is a pass rush specialist that has played well both in 4-3 and 3-4 fronts.
There is also a strong likelihood that former Pro Bowler Muhammad Wilkerson could end up getting cut by the New York Jets. He had 12 sacks back in 2015 and is still just 28-years old. Anyone of those men would look awfully good next to Hicks and Eddie Goldman up front. Something Pace needs to keep in mind as he prioritizes where he’ll spend his money.
