The Chicago Bears have a big draft upcoming. They will have the opportunity to select three of the weekend’s first 42 picks.
What the Bears do in free agency will go a long way in determining how general manager Ryan Poles drafts in April.
The Bears need to find three starting offensive linemen this offseason and two starting defensive linemen. Chicago enters the free agency with $60+ million to spend, but they could cut a few players to add cap space before going on a much-needed spending spree in March.
Joey Bosa is expected to be a cap casualty
Daniel Popper of The Athletic named a potential cap casualty for the Los Angeles Chargers that the Bears should take a look at adding this offseason, Joey Bosa.
“Bosa has a $36.47 million cap hit for 2025, according to Over The Cap,” Popper wrote. “That is the highest cap hit for any edge rusher in the league this year. Bosa has not been close to that level of player in quite some time, largely due to injury. He has only played in 28 of a possible 51 regular-season games over the past three seasons. He has 14 combined sacks in that span.
“The Chargers do have cap flexibility this offseason. They have the sixth-most effective cap space in the league. But even with that space, keeping Bosa at this number just does not make sense. The Chargers can save $25.36 million in space by cutting or trading Bosa.”
Bosa has been with the Chargers since they selected him with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft. The former Ohio State standout has earned five Pro Bowl appearances, including one for the 2024 season when he recorded five sacks.
The Chicago Bears should look at signing Bosa
Bosa has appeared in 107 games and started in 93, recording 343 tackles, 87 tackles for loss, 17 forced fumbles, and 72 sacks.
The Bears should be able to get the aging veteran at a discount price in 2025. Per Pro Football Focus, Bosa earned a 63.9 overall grade for his play in 2024. He was graded better for his run defense (73.7) than his pass rush (64.1).
Adding a player like Bosa to play on early downs might make sense if the Bears intend to develop defensive end Austin Booker in his second season.
