Chicago Bears: 3 Bargains to target in 2019 NFL free agency

1. Brian Poole, CB

With Bryce Callahan likely landing a significant raise after the elite season he turned in, the Bears need to find someone to replace him. That replacement comes in the form Brian Poole who has had an up and down career with the Atlanta Falcons.

With the pair of cornerbacks that Atlanta had on the outside, Poole was a perfect fit on the inside, and he would play the same role with Chicago. One major thing that helps in the Bears quest to potentially sign him is that he is coming off the worst season of his young career.

Poole is a versatile corner that can play the pass as well as come from the slot to pressure the quarterback. He’s gotten at least one sack in each of his three seasons, and he has gotten at least three quarterback hits each year during that same stretch. The Bears defense is already loaded with playmakers, so they don’t need Poole to be a top-tier corner — they just need him to hold his own in that spot.

For his entire career to this point, Poole has played on a dirt cheap salary, so it won’t take much for it to be a raise for him. The Bears don’t have much to offer, but with so many teams going to three-wide sets as their standard, you can’t have a glaring weakness at the slot cornerback position. Sherrick McManis played decently there last year, but it wouldn’t hurt to see if Poole is interested.