Signing Options for Free Agent DE/Edge and Salary Cap (Poll)

What Should Bears Do for Free Agent DE/Edge?


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Sculpt

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Nobody is high on Bears current DE pass rush lineup for 2025. Last year's sack totals were:
Sweat 5, Odeyingbo 3, Booker 1.5. Yikes! The PFF grades matched.

Though salary cap remains a mysterious thing, according to spotrac, after accounting for draftees (Top 51 Rule -$1.56mil), Bears have aprx $9.94 mil.

Most potent remaining FA help would be: (PFF: passrush grade)
Za’Darius Smith - 9 sacks, 76.5 PFF, 17 QB hits, 6 TFL, 32 yrs old, 17 Games
Von Miller - 6 sacks, 83 PFF, 3 QB Hits, 6 TFL, 36 yrs old, 13 Games.
Matthew Judon - 5.5 sacks, 53.9 PFF, 3 QB Hits, 6 TFL, 32 yrs old, 17 Games

At their ages, they may sign for 1 yr contracts, especially Miller. Smith might demand more years, and in the area of $8-12 mil/year. Miller and Judon are more likely in Bears price range of $6-10 mil.

Bears current DL that could take DE snaps include: Sweat, Odeyingbo, Booker, Williams, Turner, Robinson, Dexter, Hardy, UDFA Xavier Carlton. (Odeyingbo had 8 sacks in 2023.)

With Billings, Dexter, Garett, Turner, Williams, Pickens at DT, Bears could give Turner DE snaps (who played DE 2023, 6 sacks). Chris Williams played 75 DE snaps last year, 3 sacks total DT/DE.

Bears must consider injury to Sweat or Odeyingbo, you're looking at starting Booker, Robinson, Williams or Turner. They also need to keep their DE starters fresh to be potent.

Are Bears safe with Booker, Turner as direct backup/rotational DEs? Or should Bears make feeler-offers to Smith, Miller and Judon? Or do both?
 

Enasic

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Give me zadarius but would be more than happy with Von miller
 

Luke

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I think they only have about 5mil after rookies are accounted for and they always keep some money available for during the season so barring any restructured contracts, their options are limited.
 

BaBaBlacksheep

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I think they only have about 5mil after rookies are accounted for and they always keep some money available for during the season so barring any restructured contracts, their options are limited.

Poles keeps talking about extending Thuney soon so they can easily create more space there and there are other options too. So if they really want someone there’s always ways to do it
 

Sculpt

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I think they only have about 5mil after rookies are accounted for and they always keep some money available for during the season so barring any restructured contracts, their options are limited.
You have to remember when talking about Salary Cap, it's not the total amount spent on the rookies, it's how many of those rookie contracts are in the top 51 salaries. According spotrac Bears would still have $9.94mil left over.

Plus, if Bears decide that want to add a FA passrusher, they can do some restructuring.

If Bears want to contend this year, I think they need to pickup one of these guys and keep everyone fresh.
 

Zvbxrpl

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They're the top available names, but if the bears add another edge, I don't think its anybody listed. I like Z'Darius Smith though, given familiarity with the division, positional flexibility so he can stand up edge when Allen runs his 3-2-6 packages, and that somebody needs to keep Dayo on track, because 16 mil for that guy who can't get home and isn't very good at stopping the run I don't think goes as well as most fans do.

Can see them going for Tanoh Kpassignon, who goes back with DA to NO. Injured last year, won't break the bank, but 30 and slightly (not much) better against the run than Dayo.
 

MikeDitkaPolishSausage

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They're the top available names, but if the bears add another edge, I don't think its anybody listed. I like Z'Darius Smith though, given familiarity with the division, positional flexibility so he can stand up edge when Allen runs his 3-2-6 packages, and that somebody needs to keep Dayo on track, because 16 mil for that guy who can't get home and isn't very good at stopping the run I don't think goes as well as most fans do.

Can see them going for Tanoh Kpassignon, who goes back with DA to NO. Injured last year, won't break the bank, but 30 and slightly (not much) better against the run than Dayo.
Bringing him in doesn’t really help the pass rush though and would be a waste of cap space.
 

Zvbxrpl

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Bringing him in doesn’t really help the pass rush though and would be a waste of cap space.
The first question, is what are they looking for? The next is: What do they see Dayo as? If they see Dayo as a 3 down player (they're sure paying him like it even though he never was in Indy), they'll look for a run stopper. If they want a 2-way player--he won't be cheap, and it will look poorly on Poles dropping 16 mil a year for Dayo then 10-15 for a ZDarius Smith or Von Miller just so they can platoon and cover the weaknesses (though smart offensive playcallers like Kevin O'Connell or Matt LaFleur will immediately identify who/why someone is in and attack).

Even if any of the names listed are possibilities, the bears will need to do some cap magic, whether that's restructuring/extending Thuney or whatever other moves...Double digit mil will be needed for these names.

Dayo is very poor man's Yannick Ngokue/pass-rushing specialist (Ngokue could get results on the stat sheet, for all his flaws). He's getting 16 mil AAV. He's not very good against the run. Bringing in Kpassignon doesn't move the needle as a pass rusher, you're correct, but he'd make up for the run-stopping Dayo has never been in Indy, but only made 2.5 mil last year and is coming off an injured season. As a run stopper, he's within budget.
 

alswank87

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Nobody is high on Bears current DE pass rush lineup for 2025. Last year's sack totals were:
Sweat 5, Odeyingbo 3, Booker 1.5. Yikes! The PFF grades matched.

Though salary cap remains a mysterious thing, according to spotrac, after accounting for draftees (Top 51 Rule -$1.56mil), Bears have aprx $9.94 mil.

Most potent remaining FA help would be: (PFF: passrush grade)
Za’Darius Smith - 9 sacks, 76.5 PFF, 17 QB hits, 6 TFL, 32 yrs old, 17 Games
Von Miller - 6 sacks, 83 PFF, 3 QB Hits, 6 TFL, 36 yrs old, 13 Games.
Matthew Judon - 5.5 sacks, 53.9 PFF, 3 QB Hits, 6 TFL, 32 yrs old, 17 Games

At their ages, they may sign for 1 yr contracts, especially Miller. Smith might demand more years, and in the area of $8-12 mil/year. Miller and Judon are more likely in Bears price range of $6-10 mil.

Bears current DL that could take DE snaps include: Sweat, Odeyingbo, Booker, Williams, Turner, Robinson, Dexter, Hardy, UDFA Xavier Carlton. (Odeyingbo had 8 sacks in 2023.)

With Billings, Dexter, Garett, Turner, Williams, Pickens at DT, Bears could give Turner DE snaps (who played DE 2023, 6 sacks). Chris Williams played 75 DE snaps last year, 3 sacks total DT/DE.

Bears must consider injury to Sweat or Odeyingbo, you're looking at starting Booker, Robinson, Williams or Turner. They also need to keep their DE starters fresh to be potent.

Are Bears safe with Booker, Turner as direct backup/rotational DEs? Or should Bears make feeler-offers to Smith, Miller and Judon? Or do both?
I think if Sweat or Odeyingbo get injured and Booker hasn’t developed and Turner isn’t ready, they’ll stick Dexter there to start and let Jarrett play 3 tech. DA likes his DEs big. It still wouldn’t hurt to get a DE, but if not, we will just see Dexter playing DE rather than Odeyingbo playing DT.
 

MikeDitkaPolishSausage

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The first question, is what are they looking for? The next is: What do they see Dayo as? If they see Dayo as a 3 down player (they're sure paying him like it even though he never was in Indy), they'll look for a run stopper. If they want a 2-way player--he won't be cheap, and it will look poorly on Poles dropping 16 mil a year for Dayo then 10-15 for a ZDarius Smith or Von Miller just so they can platoon and cover the weaknesses (though smart offensive playcallers like Kevin O'Connell or Matt LaFleur will immediately identify who/why someone is in and attack).

Even if any of the names listed are possibilities, the bears will need to do some cap magic, whether that's restructuring/extending Thuney or whatever other moves...Double digit mil will be needed for these names.

Dayo is very poor man's Yannick Ngokue/pass-rushing specialist (Ngokue could get results on the stat sheet, for all his flaws). He's getting 16 mil AAV. He's not very good against the run. Bringing in Kpassignon doesn't move the needle as a pass rusher, you're correct, but he'd make up for the run-stopping Dayo has never been in Indy, but only made 2.5 mil last year and is coming off an injured season. As a run stopper, he's within budget.
I think the topic of the thread is pass rushers. So when looking at pure pass rushers, the guys listed by the OP are the only real options
 

DaaBears

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As much as I complain about the Bears failure to properly address this hugely important position, none of these names really appeal to me at this juncture in their careers.
 

HearshotKDS

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I think the Bears go for a cheap placeholder here and kick the longterm solution can to next year. Judon and Smith fit the Dennis Allen size profile, Von Miller doesnt. I dont know if any of them would sign for a 1 year $5-8M pop but I would guess whoever says "yes" to an offer like that first would be the direction the Bears go.

This is ultimately my biggest foible with the draft the Bears had. While I do like Loveland, #10 overall was probably the most convenient asset they had to get a DE3 now with significant upside to be DE2 or DE1 of the future if Dayo's production doesnt match the contract or if Sweats 4.4 athleticism leaves him early in his 30s.
 

Enasic

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I think the Bears go for a cheap placeholder here and kick the longterm solution can to next year. Judon and Smith fit the Dennis Allen size profile, Von Miller doesnt. I dont know if any of them would sign for a 1 year $5-8M pop but I would guess whoever says "yes" to an offer like that first would be the direction the Bears go.

This is ultimately my biggest foible with the draft the Bears had. While I do like Loveland, #10 overall was probably the most convenient asset they had to get a DE3 now with significant upside to be DE2 or DE1 of the future if Dayo's production doesnt match the contract or if Sweats 4.4 athleticism leaves him early in his 30s.

Miller won DROY under Allen so the size profile doesn’t really check out. He was drafted under him. Miller or smith would be really good additions and make me feel much better about the DL.
 

Xplosive

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There's more injury concern for old players so how are these guys better options?

Why pour money and playtime into old players as opposed to giving developmental snaps to young players?

Why not simply trust that Dennis Allen knows what type of players he needs and finding young players that fit his scheme and let him work his magic?

Name Bias is real. Worrying that 2024 performance will translate to 2025 in a new scheme with new coaching is a mistake.
 

HearshotKDS

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Miller won DROY under Allen so the size profile doesn’t really check out. He was drafted under him. Miller or smith would be really good additions and make me feel much better about the DL.
Didnt know that, good info. Although I did see the stat that since 2015 all of Allens DEs have been 260 lb.+ so not sure if thats a change in philosophy or just a coincidence.
 

dennehy

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Well one of his DEs was always Cam Jordan, who is huge and probably a fringe HOF player. So he always had one 260+ he didn't have worry about but that anyone would have obviously played.
 

Enasic

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Didnt know that, good info. Although I did see the stat that since 2015 all of Allens DEs have been 260 lb.+ so not sure if thats a change in philosophy or just a coincidence.

I believe he does have a preference but good players are good players and good coaches should be able to adapt and make it work. I think at miller’s age, you just set him loose on 3rd down or obvious passing situations. 82 overall grade and 6 sacks last season on only 279 snaps so he has juice left and played well in a slightly lesser role.
 
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