Chicago Bears: 5 Underrated targets in 2018 NFL Free Agency

2. Jeremiah Attaochu, EDGE

While injuries have slowed him down a bit, Leonard Floyd is an important building block for the Chicago Bears at the edge rusher position. Floyd shows a ton of natural upside on the outside and could easily take a major step forward in 2018. However, aside from Floyd, the Bears have little to speak of at the outside linebacker position.

Pernell McPhee is a possible (if not likely) salary cap casualty and Willie Young is getting up there in age. Simply put, the Bears need depth on the edge and would particularly like to find a player who they could pair with Floyd for the long-term.

Unfortunately, there are not a ton of strong edge rushers available this offseason. Both free agency and the draft are lacking at the position. That being said, Jeremiah Attaochu stands out as a particular free agent edge rusher who could be interesting to the Bears.

Attaochu was a dominant pass rusher in college, piling up a school-record 31.5 sacks at Georgia Tech. He was drafted in the second round (50th overall) by the San Diego Chargers in the 2014 NFL Draft.

He had some success early in his career with the Chargers, piling up six sacks as an outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme as a second year player in 2015. However, since 2015, Attaochu has consistently struggled with injuries, only playing in 12 games combined the last two seasons. On top of that, the Chargers switched to a 4-3 defense that does not take advantage of Attaochu’s skill set.

Simply put, Attaochu needs to get back into a 3-4 defense, just like the one Vic Fangio runs in Chicago. The multiple injuries are obviously a concern, but Attaochu still has an explosive skill set on the outside. He is a quick and agile pass rusher who has an impressive first step. Attaochu will struggle against power at times, but he has fantastic natural upside as a standup outside rusher.

The Bears could bring Attaochu in as a depth piece and use him exclusively in pass rush situations. If he excels in that role, they could groom him to be an eventual starter for the team. His ability to both rush the passer and drop in coverage gives Attaochu a chance to be a major playmaker down the line. At only 25-years-old, he is a prime under-the-radar free agent target for Chicago this offseason.