Top free agents Chicago Bears should target after NFL Combine

Safeties

Watching Adrian Amos and Eddie Jackson play together was a pleasure. Those two players really played off each other and were perfect complements. It would be great to have them stay together, but it might not happen.

Last year was tough on safeties. Some of the top safeties ended up with just one-year contracts. That may change this offseason. With some of the top safeties demanding elite pay, Amos might end up being a bargain and teams that don’t get the upper echelon players will turn their focus on him. Additionally, former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is now the head coach for the Denver Broncos and he might go hard for Amos to add to an already pretty good defense.

If the Bears don’t re-sign Amos, here are players who could attract their attention:

Marcus Gilchrist — Gilchrist would be a good fit for the Bears. He could play multiple positions. He’s played both safety spots, slot cornerback, and nickel linebacker. He gives Pagano a number of options by being able to play all over the field. He was actually drafted as a cornerback by the then-San Diego Chargers. Playing all those positions gives him a unique aspect for the defense.

Oakland Raiders secondary coach Derrick Ansley praised Gilchrist’s intelligence, per NBC Sports Bay Area:

"Marcus is a general on the field. He has been around a long time, and has seen the game through the eyes of a corner, nickel and safety. There isn’t much he hasn’t seen. We’ve done a good job of leaning on him to help the young guys."

Gilchrist has 14 career interceptions and three in 2018. Pairing him with Jackson gives the Bears some good ball hawks in the secondary.

Tre Boston — Boston is a guy who’s been looking for a multi-year contract for a while now. He continues to play well and he may finally get his wish. He has 11 career interceptions, 10 of them in the past three seasons. Also, he has playoff experience and that could help the Bears greatly.

The Arizona Cardinals claimed D.J. Swearinger off waivers so that means Boston is available again. He’d be a great fit with the Bears and, at 26, gives the team a young, athletic safety combo who get after the ball.

Landon Collins — Word out of New York is that the Giants and Collins can’t come up with a contract agreement and the team is unlikely to place the franchise tag on him. That puts the All-Pro on the open market. Pace and the Bears could make a big splash by signing Collins and making the defense even stronger than it was last season.

In his four-year career, Collins recorded 100+ tackles every season except in 2018, when he recorded “only” 96. He missed four games due to injury so he was on his way to doing it again. In any case, he still made the Pro Bowl.

In 2016, Collins had one of the best seasons ever by a safety. He recorded 125 tackles (100 solo tackles alone), 13 passes defended, five interceptions and four sacks. That was the last time the Giants had a good defense (or a good team) and Collins wants to play games that matter once again. Having him come to Chicago is a longshot but if it’s done this Chicago Bears defense could hit historic highs.

While the Bears won’t hit the market as hard as they did last year, Pace will surprise many and make another impact on the roster, hopefully resulting in a longer playoff run in 2019.