Getty General manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears‘ need for disruptive pass rushers is a real one, and it’s something general manager Ryan Poles apparently tried to address in a big way in the offseason.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears tried to sign interior defensive lineman Javon Hargrave in free agency.
“It sounds like GM Ryan Poles made a run at Javon Hargrave, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers,” Biggs wrote on September 25. “I wasn’t sure Hargrave would appeal to Poles because he’s 30, but the Bears knew the issue they had and went after some linemen. You can’t get them all, and this will be a hard defense to watch until the line is improved.”
Hargrave is as durable as they come, so it was no surprise he signed a four-year, $84 million deal with the Niners this offseason. He has missed just two games over his 7+ years in the league, and he was named a first-team All-Pro while with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.
Javon Hargrave Would Have Been a Dream Acquisition for Bears
Javon Hargrave nearly took the handoff 👀
Hargrave has started all three games for the 49ers so far this year, playing 102 pass rush snaps. The veteran interior defender has 2.0 sacks, a quarterback hit and 10 hurries (stats via Pro Football Focus) — and that’s more sacks than Chicago has as a team right now. Through three games, the Bears defense has one sack, seven QB hits and 36 hurries, per PFF. According to Next Gen Stats, Hargrave leads all defensive tackles in pressures through three weeks.
The 30-year-old veteran defensive tackle was a third-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016. He spent four years in the Steel City before heading to Philly, where he had three excellent seasons, including his All-Pro campaign in 2021.
Last year, in 17 games with Philly, the 6-foot-2, 305-pound Hargrave amassed 40 hurries, six QB hits, 10 tackles-for-loss and 11.0 sacks. He currently has an outstanding 91.4 pass rush grade from PFF.
To say the Bears could’ve used a player with his skill set is an understatement. Hargrave’s explosiveness wrecks games, and Chicago currently doesn’t have a player like that in the middle of its defensive line.
Bears Don’t Seem to Be Panicking Despite 0-3 Start
The Bears selected rookies Gervon Dexter in Round 2 and Zacch Pickens in Round 3 this year, while also signing veteran Andrew Billings to rotate on the interior. The three of them combined for three pressures in Chicago’s Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, as noted below by Josh Schrock of NBC Sports.
Bears pass rush vs Chiefs, per PFF:
Yannick Ngakoue — 5 pressures, two hits
DeMarcus Walker — 4 pressures, one hit
Rasheem Green — 2 pressures
Dexter/Robinson/Billings/Edmunds — 1 pressure each
To be fair, Billings has been solid, but imagine if the Bears had managed to snag Hargrave instead. The Bears haven’t had a true game-wrecker on the interior of the defensive line since Akiem Hicks and Hargrave would give them that. Unfortunately for the Bears, a deal didn’t happen for whatever reason.
Now 0-3 to start the season, the Bears could use a win, stat. Chicago’s lack of a pass rush has made life more difficult on the linebacking corps, as well as the team’s secondary, as opposing quarterbacks have had all day to complete passes this season. Despite the team’s undesirable start, no one seems to be panicking.
“We are feeling fine. I honestly believe that,” Bears defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker said after Chicago’s Week 3 loss. “We need to get some guys healthy and get the chemistry going. You would rather be a team that starts off slow and finishes hot than a team that starts off hot and finishes slow.”
That’s true enough. We’ll see if the Bears can snag their first win since October 2022 when they face the Denver Broncos Week 4.
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Bears GM Ryan Poles ‘Made a Run’ at 49ers All-Pro Pass Rusher