10 Under the radar free agents Chicago Bears should target in 2023

Eric Saubert, TE, Denver Broncos

The Chicago Bears had a horrible tight ends unit in 2022. Sure, Cole Kmet had himself a breakout season. He had 50 catches for 544 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was the only productive tight end the Bears had, though.

The other tight ends, Ryan Griffin, Trevon Wesco, and Jake Tonges combined for 6 catches and 52 receiving yards.

The Bears have to change that in 2023.

The tight end is likely a spot that Poles goes after via the draft. However, the unit needs quality depth.

Eric Saubert could be a great fit with the Bears. He is the type of player Poles wants — he isn’t elite in any one area but is solid in everything he does. While he won’t be a pass catcher, he can make some catches to take some pressure off of Kmet. Additionally, he is a good pass blocker and could help open holes for the running game and assist the offensive linemen. He will also give the Bears another good special teams player.

No, Saubert won’t be lighting it up for the Bears. Sometimes, however, signing players as backups can be almost as important as signing a quality starter. Saubert is a solid player who can play enough to give Kmet some rest throughout the season. That, in turn, keeps Kmet fresh and strong down the stretch, and able to continue to make big plays.

On the surface, some of these signings are not very sexy. Some fans might be disappointed in them, in fact. However, if Poles makes several of these signings together it could really strengthen the roster.

We’ve seen for several decades how the Chicago Bears have gone the way of signing some big-name stars while still leaving the rest of the roster with holes. We saw how bad that approach was. Now we have to see how Poles’ approach to building a complete team works.