With the NFL draft behind them and a new star-studded cast on offense, the Chicago Bears have the rest of the summer to address a couple of holes on the defensive line.
Chicago potentially has the money to sign a big name, with almost $23 million in salary cap space available. The bigger problem with that approach, though, is that there aren’t any true studs available in late-stage free agency — at least none without a meaningful question or two involving age, injury or some other wart on their game that’s hard to miss.
The solution, then, is more likely a bridge to a young player or a future free-agent signing in the form of a proven veteran who can do his job well as a cog in a good defense, even if he’s not going to perform like the world-beater he once was. Gordon McGuiness of Pro Football Focus suggested that Calais Campbell could be that player for the Bears this offseason.
Campbell could be a good role player for the Bears, too, given his versatility,” McGuiness wrote on Wednesday, May 8. “He has the experience on the edge and the interior and is still good enough as a run defender and a pass rusher to make an impact. In his 16th NFL season last year, he still managed to rack up 42 total pressures from 413 pass-rushing snaps.”
