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The Chicago Bears are adding more offensive tackle depth to their 2024 roster, this time bringing in a veteran who has direct ties to new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron from their shared time together with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Bears signed former Seahawks offensive tackle Jake Curhan to a one-year contract on Monday, March 18. He is their second veteran depth signing at the position behind former San Francisco 49ers role player Matt Pryor, who signed last week on March 13.
Curhan allowed three sacks and 22 pressures over his four starts at right tackle for the Seahawks in 2023, finishing with a brutal 39.2 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound blocker has shown promise as a run blocker, though, and also has experience at both guard spots. Given his familiarity with Waldron’s offensive system, he could have a shot at making the Bears’ 53-man roster in 2024.
The Bears also signed a veteran for their defensive trenches on Monday, inking a one-year deal with former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Byron Cowart. A former fifth-round pick for the New England Patriots, Cowart is another depth signing and has tallied one sack and 13 pressures over 691 career defensive snaps at tackle and end.
The Bears have now signed 13 outside free agents, extended three players from last year’s roster and traded to acquire two veterans since the start of March. Of those 18 additions, a third are either offensive or defensive linemen, including centers Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates and defensive end Jake Martin.
NFL Free Agency Suggests Bears Want 1st-Round DE
The Bears are still more than a month away from the opening night of the 2024 NFL draft, but their plans — at least in the first round — are becoming clearer after their moves in the first wave of NFL free agency addressed some needs and neglected others.
The Bears took a few big swings in free agency: They signed former All-Pro free safety Kevin Byard to a two-year contract to replace former starter Eddie Jackson. They added running back D’Andre Swift as a new No. 1 for their rushing stable. They also acquired more pass-catcher firepower, signing tight end Gerald Everett and trading a fourth-round pick for six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Probably not what you expected when the offseason began, huh?
One thing that has gone unaddressed, though, is the Bears’ need for a No. 2 edge rusher opposite star Montez Sweat. The Bears added Martin (18 career sacks) on a one-year deal and return veteran DeMarcus Walker, but neither elicits much confidence in their ability to be a formidable pass-rushing presence. And with free agency’s big fish mostly off the market and the Bears’ piggy bank running out, a first-round talent seems likely.
The Bears could go a few directions with their No. 9 overall pick in the draft, including trading it for additional draft capital. But if they stay put, they could have their choice of one of the top two or three pass rushers in the 2024 class, whether it be Alabama’s Dallas Turner, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu or Florida State’s Jared Verse.
Chicago already committed big money to Sweat — a four-year, $98 million contract. What better way to find him a long-term rushing partner than for the Bears to add one of the top talents in the draft on a rookie contract?
Bears Also Cut Young OT From Intentional Pathways
The Bears have almost exclusively added to their 2024 roster since the beginning of the month, but they did make one minor deduction before their latest batch of signings.
According to the team’s transaction wire, the Bears released Nigerian offensive tackle Roy Mbaeteka from their 90-man roster on March 15. He had been allocated to the team as part of the NFL International Pathway Program last offseason and spent the entire 2023 season on the Bears’ practice squad as a developmental player.
In January, the Bears signed Mbaeteka to a reserve/future contract for the 2024 season, but deals of that nature guaranteed nothing. Now, he has become a free agent.
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