Bears urged to sign veteran edge rusher to fix draft negligence

Clay Harbor for Chicago Sports Network also suggested Smith, while also pointing out Matthew Judon is still available and was sought last summer in a trade by Poles. The Bears did make a defensive line addition in Shemar Turner and he could play on the edge or at defensive tackle, just like Dayo Odeyingbo can move inside in pass rush situations and Gervon Dexter could move outside.

"The Bears have a solid starting group on the defensive line, thanks to free agent additions Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo and second-rounder Shemar Turner," PFN wrote. "However, the depth is a little thin, particularly on the edge behind Odeyingbo and Montez Sweat.

"Adding Smith could not only control the snap counts of the starters but also allow defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to get creative with his pass rush packages."

In his power rankings after the draft, NFL.com's Erik Edholm put the Bears down at 16th and also pointed to the defensive line as an area needing help.

"The defensive line also received some potentially nice help in Shemar Turner, even if there was disappointment in not getting another pass rusher," he wrote.

The Bears did sign undrafted free agent edge rusher Xavier Carlton, a 6-foot-6, 275-pounder from Carlifornia who had 19 career sacks.

As for making Smith 4-for-4 in the NFC North, it doesn't appear likely.

The Bears have spent down to $4 million under the cap, according to Overthecap.com. This figure didn't include the bonus money on rookie contracts. So they're not likely to be going on any spending sprees with the cap by chasing a defensive end who was on a two-year, $23 million contract last year.

Even a team relying on a defensive line rotation can only use eight or nine defensive linemen on game day.

The Bears are past their limit, already so any free agent addition would need to come out of the bargain barrel.