Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles had a different opening to the free agency period than last year. He made three big signings that solidified the roster.
Well, the start of free agency is upon us. Actually, nothing is official until Wednesday at 4 PM Eastern but on Monday the free agency window to work out deals opened. Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was certainly busy.
It was a different situation than what we saw last year. As teams started signing player after player, Poles was quiet. Then, when he started, he didn’t make much of a splash. Additionally, the one splash he did make ended up getting voided because of a failed physical.
Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles gets after it quickly in 2023 NFL Free Agency
On Monday, however, Poles was busy. He entered the period with the highest available salary cap space. Even after acquiring D.J. Moore and his 2023 $20 million cap hit the Bears still had $75+ million to spend.
Poles started spending it. He made three signings. The three project to be starters. Two of the three were linebackers. He turned the linebackers unit from one that was thin and struggling to a tough, athletic unit.
Poles also signed a player to upgrade the offensive line. The line is a unit that has been a Chicago Bears Achilles heel for decades. Despite blocking well enough for Chicago to lead the league in rushing in 2022, the pass blocking was horrible. They gave up 53 sacks on Justin Fields. Additionally, Fields was constantly pressured.
Being an offensive lineman himself, Poles wants desperately to improve the line. He took his first step on Monday.
It will be interesting to see what else Poles does in free agency. He elicited a lot of joy on his first day. Let’s see what happens going forward. Here are the grades for his first signings.
TJ Edwards, Linebacker
Poles and the Chicago Bears kicked off the new free agency period by agreeing to terms with linebacker T.J. Edwards. The deal is worth $19.5 million for three years, with $12 million guaranteed.
Edwards spent his four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Since then, Edwards worked hard to become one of the best, toughest players on their vaulted defense. In 2022, he ranked the sixth-highest linebacker overall. Furthermore, he ranked ninth in pass coverage. He was an integral part of the defense. Overall, he had 159 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 7 passes defended, a fumble recovery, and 2 sacks.
Now Edwards comes back home. He hails from Lake Villa and idolized the Chicago Bears growing up. He tailgated before games and loved watching Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher. Now he follows in their footsteps.
Edwards measures 6-foot-1 and weighs 242 pounds. He has the ability to play all three slots at linebacker but likely plays in the middle.
The move probably moves Jack Sanborn back into a reserve role. Sanborn did a good job manning the middle when the Bears traded Roquan Smtih. He suffered an injury that cut his season short, though. Additionally, he isn’t as athletic as Edwards, but he gives the defense great depth.
Nate Davis, OG
Once again, Poles surprised many people with his moves. The Chicago Bears offensive line has a need at tackle, more specifically right tackle. Many fans would be happy if the Bears signed a left tackle and moved Braxton Jones over to right tackle.
Then the linemen started to come off the board. One by one, many of the players fans were excited about possibly coming to Chicago and ended up going elsewhere. Then, when Poles finally signed a lineman, it wasn’t a tackle, it was a guard. He signed Nate Davis to a three-year, $30 million deal, with $19.5 million guaranteed.
Guard was a spot that people felt wasn’t a need. The Bears have Cody Whitehair and Teven Jenkins who did a pretty good job in 2022. Does the Davis signing signal a bigger move along the line? Davis is a right guard who had a good season in 2022.
Davis played a total of 682 snaps at right guard, receiving a run blocking grade of 69.8, pass blocking grade of 66.8, and an overall grade of 70.6 from Pro Football Focus. He only allowed 3.0 sacks and was whistled for four penalties.
The question now is what happens at guard. Does it mean that either Whitehair or Jenkins gets dealt? It makes sense if it is Whitehair. If the Bears trade or release him, they save either $5.8 million (pre-June 1st designation) or $9.9 million (post-June 1st).
The Bears could also decide to take a chance on Jenkins at right tackle. They could keep Whitehair and plug Davis in at right guard. That would be a risk, however. This adds more intrigue to the offseason. It will be fun to watch what Poles’ plans are for the offensive line.
Tremaine Edmunds, LB
As mentioned earlier, the Chicago Bears overhauled the linebackers unit. After signing Edwards, Poles went and got possibly the best available linebacker on the market, Tremaine Edmunds.
Edmunds and the Bears agreed on a four-year, $72 million deal, with $50 million guaranteed.
Edmunds was arguably the best available free-agent linebacker on the market. He manned the middle for another elite defense, the Buffalo Bills.
Now the Bears have two linebackers who have played at the highest level and performed well. With Edwards and Edmunds, they get two young, athletic, and tough linebackers.
One of these linebackers will end up playing on the weak side. That will likely be Edmunds. The weakside linebacker is important in defensive coordinator Alan Williams’ defense. It is the same defense head coach Matt Eberflus ran when he ran the defense with the Indianapolis Colts. Playing in this system helped Shaquille Leonard become a star.
Edmunds’ agility, quickness, and athleticism will translate well to the weak side. Also, his age is a big positive. Despite already playing five seasons, he is still just 24 years old.
It will be exciting to see the Chicago Bears linebackers return to glory. Edwards and Edmunds will play well and become fan favorites quickly.