The Bears could circle back to a former top 10 draft pick to help boost Matt Eberflus' defense.
The Chicago Bears are now less than a month away from the 2023 NFL draft and are expected to invest heavily in their defensive line with their 10 draft picks, but Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes they could reunite with one of their previous top 10 draft picks to shore up their pass-rushing unit before then.
While discussing landing spots for some of the top names still available in free agency, Knox predicted the Bears to bring back pass rusher and former 2016 No. 9 overall pick Leonard Floyd in free agency and sign him to a three-year contract that would provide them with a much-needed veteran presence off the edge of their defensive line.
Floyd, 30, has spent the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, racking up a total of 29 sacks, 157 quarterback pressures and 184 tackles on a defensive line that touts perennial All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald as its centerpiece. While Floyd’s first tenure with Chicago ended when his unceremonious release in the 2020 offseason, the Bears’ new regime may be interested in a reunion after his strong second career arc.
“Of course, playing next to Aaron Donald has certainly helped Floyd, and he might not be as prolific back in Chicago. However, he’s now a veteran leader with a Super Bowl ring who could help guide the young and rebuilding Bears,” Knox wrote in his April 3 article. “Floyd could also provide some punch to a pass rush that produced only 20 sacks last season. So far, DeMarcus Walker is the only edge-rusher Chicago has added this offseason. The Bears still lead the league with $38.5 million in cap space.”
Leonard Floyd Could Fit With Bears … for Right Price
GettyLeonard Floyd remains a free agent after the first few weeks of 2023 free agency.
Floyd’s production has undoubtedly improved since the Bears decided not to keep him on his fifth-year option in 2020. After recording just 18.5 sacks and 147 pressures in his first four seasons with Chicago, he moved to a better defensive line in L.A. and took full advantage of Donald’s presence in the middle, quickly becoming more of the player that the Bears originally thought they were getting when they drafted him at No. 9 overall.
And yet, the Bears would still have good reason to be hesitant about a potential reunion with Floyd in 2023. General manager Ryan Poles has mostly invested his free agent resources into getting experienced players who are on the right side of 30, and while Floyd has not missed a single game since his second season with the Bears in 2017, it would be difficult to justify giving him a long-term contract — especially a three-year deal like Knox suggested — when he is set to turn 31 in September.
There are also doubts about whether Floyd can maintain his strong level of play once he is no longer in a defense that features Donald, who commands the attention of interior offensive lines every single time he is on the field. That’s not to say Floyd’s only reason for success in L.A. has been having a dominant partner in the middle, but the Bears are trying to build up a unit that recorded a league-low 20 sacks in 2022 and are still missing a high-level defensive tackle to play the 3-technique role in their defense.
Now, if Floyd is willing to accept a shorter contract — maybe even a one-year deal with sacks incentives for him to chase — the Bears might be persuaded to bring him back. Then again, with more cap casualties expected to follow after the draft and Chicago still owning the most cap space (about $37.4 million, per Over the Cap) in the league, it might be smarter to wait and see what options are available later on in the offseason.
Bears Might Be Content to Focus on Drafting DEs
Media types keep pitching for the Bears to add another one of the still-available edge rushers in the 2023 free agency, but it isn’t outrageous to think that Poles is content to leave the position group as it is until at least after the NFL draft comes and goes.
The Bears have not reloaded their pass-rushing unit in quite the same way they have with their linebacker corps, but they did make at least one notable investment with the three-year, $21 million contract they gave to former Tennessee Titans defensive end DeMarcus Walker. The 28-year-old is coming off a breakout season for the Titans in which he notched career-highs in sacks (seven), quarterback hits (16) and pressures (32), and as things stand now, he should be a starter for the Bears defense in 2023.
Walker alone doesn’t fix the problem, but he does provide an extra layer of experience alongside Trevis Gipson — who had seven sacks in 2021 before regressing in 2022 — and 2022 fifth-round pick Dominique Robinson. And if the Bears invest one or more of their premium draft picks into more talent for the position, the group could start feeling a lot more secure even without another veteran addition on the line.
Don’t forget, the edge rusher position is considered one of the deepest of the 2023 draft class and the Bears have four picks inside the top 64, including the No. 9 overall pick. If they sink two of those picks into pass rushers, there is a strong chance they will have two more rookie starters in the unit before the start of May. (And, of course, if they only get one and are feeling insecure about the spot as they progress through their offseason program, they could always circle back to the free agent veterans still on the market).