Bears’ Former Starting Defender Jumps to AFC in Free Agency

Getty Former Bears defensive lineman Armon Watts has signed a new deal with the Steelers for 2023.

Another one of the starters on the Chicago Bears’ 2022 defensive line has found a new place to call home in 2023 free agency.

According to the team’s official transaction wire for April 12, the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed former Bears defensive tackle Armon Watts to a new contract for the 2023 season. He is the seventh free agent of the Bears’ 2023 class to sign elsewhere.

The Bears claimed Watts off the waiver wire from the Minnesota Vikings during 53-man roster cuts on August 31 last year and saw him quickly beat out Angelo Blackson for a starting role as their one-technique defensive tackle alongside Justin Jones. He ended up starting in 12 of his 17 games on the year, finishing with 34 total tackles, one sack and a career-high four tackles for a loss for the Bears’ bottom-of-the-league line.

Ultimately, though, Watts was a bit of a letdown for the time he spent on the field for the Bears. He had flashes of good, but he also recorded just 11 pressures over his 531 defensive snaps and finished nine of his performances with zero pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, he also slumped to career-low grades as both a run defender (44.8) and overall (49.2), both of which are well-below-average marks.

Bears Have Built a Better Base for DL Ahead of Draft

Before free agency began, there were lofty expectations for the types of defensive line talent the Bears might be able to secure with their league-most cap space. Fans tossed around names like Javon Hargrave and Dre’Mont Jones as the best-case scenarios while others, such as Dalvin Tomlinson, Zach Allen, Michael Onyemata and Sheldon Rankins, also made wishlists. Instead, Bears general manager Ryan Poles resisted the urge to overspend and focused on finding good-value players who fit their scheme.

The biggest addition to the Bears’ defensive front this offseason has been DeMarcus Walker, who now steps in as their most experienced pass rusher. He had a breakout seven-sack season for the Tennessee Titans in 2022 that saw him set career-highs in tackles for loss (10), quarterback hits (16) and pressures (32). The 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive end also knows how to use his size to play consistently well against the run, recording 21 defensive stops last season — according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics.

The Bears also signed Andrew Billings, a 6-foot-1, 328-pound defensive tackle, and Rasheem Green, a 6-foot-4, 279-pound defensive end, to add more beef to their unit as a whole. Billings figures to be a quality rotational piece after recording 22 defensive stops and finishing as PFF’s 20th-highest-graded run defender (72.3) among all interior defensive linemen in 2022, while Green can also be a sizeable asset in run support.

The Bears’ three new additions to their defensive line won’t be able to solve their problems alone, but it does improve the overall size and quality of the unit from last year when Chicago was starting Watts on the inside. It also gives the Bears a solid base to work with as they look to acquire more defensive line talent in the 2023 NFL draft.

Armon Watts Was Bears’ Most Notable DL Free Agent

Watts was the most notable pending free agent the Bears had at the defensive line position with the 26-year-old presenting more upside than Blackson or veteran Mike Pennel, neither of whom have signed new deals for the 2023 season. While there was a case to be made for Watts to return to Chicago as a rotational piece prior to the start of free agency, the Bears essentially nixed his chances when they signed Billings — a more proven one-tech tackle — in free agency.

The Bears have also seen six other free agents land with different teams over the past month, including quarterback Tim Boyle (New York Jets), running backs David Montgomery (Detroit Lions) and Darrynton Evans (Indianapolis Colts), tight end Trevon Wesco (Tennessee Titans), right tackle Riley Reiff (New England Patriots) and inside linebacker Nicholas Morrow (Philadelphia Eagles).

The Bears do, however, still have a handful of noteworthy names still on the market. Wide receivers Byron Pringle, Dante Pettis and N’Keal Harry are all still available, as are center Sam Mustipher and safety DeAndre Houston-Carson.