5 free agent targets for the Bears after the 2024 NFL draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Now that the NFL draft is done, the Bears They have a clearer idea of what their depth chart will look like this season and where they may still need help. Consequently, GM ryan polish will have a more focused plan while selecting the remaining free agents on the market to fill any remaining holes on the roster.
Compared to when the Poles destroyed the squad in 2022, there is not much work left for the board. After the first waves of free agency and the draft, the team finds itself at the skill positions on offense. Their secondary remains stacked. If the team could use extra bodies anywhere, it’s on the offensive and defensive lines (like most NFL teams), so that’s where we’re going to look.
It’s also worth noting that the Bears probably aren’t in line to make another splashy signing. Depending on where you look, the Bears are estimated to have between $8 million and $12 million in effective cap space after the draft, and the Poles may want to hold onto some dust to use over the course of the season. So don’t expect big deals projected here.
Green could be an option for a one-year reunion with the Bears adding just Austin Booker in the draft. The depth on the defensive line is good, but what he brings to the special teams is better. Green blocked two kicks for the Bears last season.
Haynes has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his five-year career, so he probably wouldn’t be called upon to start for the Bears. But he could still accomplish two goals for the Bears: 1) increase competition for deep spots on the interior, and 2) help teach new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s scheme and talk. Haynes worked with Waldron for the past three seasons in Seattle.
Joseph will turn 36 next year and is not the same player he was in his heyday with the Vikings. But defensive tackle is one of the Bears’ thinnest position groups, and Joseph could be an impactful veteran presence to help Gervon Dexter as Dexter presumably takes over for the team’s three starting coaches.
The Bears signed Ngakoue to a one-year deal to bolster their pass rush last summer, but his season ended early due to an ankle injury. If the medical tests are correct, it would make sense for the team to run it again, since the two sides are familiar with each other. He would also take some pressure off of Booker as he works to hone his raw talent in his rookie season.
RAKEEM NÚÑEZ-ROCHES – DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Nunez-Roches is younger than Joseph at 31, but with just four career sacks he doesn’t have the same track record of production as a pass rusher. He still has plenty of experience with 118 games and 42 starts to his name, and brings positional versatility to the table with plays at NT, DT and DE. The Poles have also played a key role in electing Núñez-Roches before. Poles was Kansas City’s director of college scouting when the Chiefs selected Nunez-Roches in the sixth round of the 2017 draft.
