Sorting through the Chicago Bears’ pass rusher options as GM Ryan Poles seeks to beef up the defense

Not only did Jaquan Brisker have the unusual distinction of leading the Chicago Bears in sacks last season as a defensive back, he was the first homegrown player atop that category since the middle of the Lovie Smith era.

Brisker’s four sacks paced the league’s last-ranked pass rush in 2022, when the rookie safety became the first player drafted and developed by the Bears to lead them in sacks since Alex Brown had six in 2008.

During that 13-year span, Adewale Ogunleye, Israel Idonije, Julius Peppers, Willie Young, Lamarr Houston, Akiem Hicks, Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn took turns spearheading the pass rush, evidence of how reliant the Bears have been on free agency and the trade market at a marquee position.

Now general manager Ryan Poles has to sort through potential options to beef up the pass rush like a shopper hitting the mall in search of the perfect gift the day after Christmas. The Bears have essentially admitted they need help at defensive end. The good news is there’s a plethora of options (and prices) to evaluate in the weeks ahead.

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“We are aware of our strengths and weaknesses,” Poles said on draft weekend. “We’re going to be opportunistic. We still have flexibility to do what we need to do to improve.”

The Bears did not select a defensive end in their 10-man draft class. They did grab three defensive tackles — Gervon Dexter (Round 2), Zacch Pickens (Round 3) and Travis Bell (Round 7) — and Poles indicated it was a matter of how the draft fell rather than an omission of a known priority.

There were reports the Bears made calls near the end of the first round, gauging the price they would have to pay to move up. If true, it’s possible Poles had his eye on a small group of defensive ends.

The Bears wound up staying put at No. 53, where they selected Dexter. A run on edge rushers began at the end of the first round when the Cincinnati Bengals selected Myles Murphy at No. 28, and it ended well before the Bears picked midway through Round 2.

Murphy was the first of six edge rushers selected in a span of 14 picks. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Nolan Smith at No. 30, and the Kansas City Chiefs closed Round 1 with Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The Seattle Seahawks drafted Derick Hall at No. 37, the New Orleans Saints took Isaiah Foskey at No. 40 and the Arizona Cardinals got B.J. Ojulari at No. 41.

Had the Bears kept their original second-round pick (No. 32) that they shipped to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Chase Claypool trade, they would have been in prime position to get in on the rush for pass rushers. The hope is Claypool will be a big part of quarterback Justin Fields’ success this season, and in the big picture that’s more important to the trajectory of the franchise than a rookie pass rusher. At No. 32, the Bears could have drafted the seventh edge rusher in the class.

They currently have six defensive ends: DeMarcus Walker, signed to a three-year, $21 million contract in free agency; former draft picks Dominique Robinson and Trevis Gipson; free-agent signee Rasheem Green; and undrafted rookies Jalen Harris and D’Anthony Jones.

Walker projects as the starting left end in the base defense, and for the time being the opposite starter figures to be Robinson or Gipson. The Bears can either add a starter here in the near future or go with a designated pass rusher (DPR) they likely would keep on the sideline on run downs.

Most of the available options — as many as 10 experienced edge defenders — are on the wrong side of 30. There probably isn’t a “splash” player to add, and Poles likely doesn’t want to make the kind of move that would reduce his salary-cap flexibility.

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• Frank Clark, 30 (age as of Week 1). A cap casualty for the Chiefs, Clark had 9½ sacks over the last two seasons. The three-time Pro Bowl selection has reached 10 sacks in a season twice in his career. He made $12.3 million last year and likely wants a big payday. Clark has been arrested twice on gun charges.
• Jadeveon Clowney, 30. The No. 1 pick in 2014, Clowney has been with four teams in the last five seasons. He never quite reached his draft potential with more than six sacks only three times in nine seasons.
• Carlos Dunlap, 34. The 14-year veteran has 100 career sacks after notching four in 17 games for the Chiefs last year.
• Leonard Floyd, 30. The Bears’ first-round pick in 2016, Floyd’s pass rush reached a new gear when he got to the Los Angeles Rams in 2020. He had 29 sacks over the last three seasons after totaling 18½ in four years with the Bears. Floyd made $16.5 million last season and is available because no team has met his asking price.
• Justin Houston, 34. The 13-year veteran had 9½ sacks for the Baltimore Ravens last year and is another player Poles knows well as Houston spent the first eight years of his career with the Chiefs.
• Melvin Ingram, 34. After consecutive down seasons, Ingram had six sacks for the Miami Dolphins last year.
• Yannick Ngakoue, 28. Ngakoue has had at least eight sacks every season, including 9½ last year with the Indianapolis Colts. He has been on five teams since 2019, bouncing around because he’s a liability against the run. Ngakoue profiles as a DPR and likely is looking for a considerable payday after finishing a two-year, $26 million contract in 2022.
• Robert Quinn, 33. A team that believes in the veteran putting together big seasons in odd-numbered years might be willing to take a shot on Quinn, whom the Bears traded to the Eagles at midseason last year. Quinn had 18½ sacks in 2021, 11½ in 2019 and 8½ in 2017. The problem is he had one sack last season, two in 2020 and 6½ in 2018.

• Carl Lawson, 28. He’s entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $15 million this season. The New York Jets have a host of edge rushers and Lawson is rumored to be available in a trade. Considering the contract, a late-round pick might make it happen. Lawson had seven sacks with 24 QB hits last season. He has totaled 27 sacks over five seasons.
• Za’Darius Smith, 31. Smith is rumored to be seeking a new contract — or at minimum guaranteed money — a year after signing a three-year, $42 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. The market for Smith was depressed last offseason because he was coming off a back injury that wiped out nearly all of his 2021 season in Green Bay. He had 10 sacks last season for the Vikings, but 8½ came in the first seven games. Smith is an intriguing option, but having to trade for him and adjust his contract might be a lot.

The timeline for adding a defensive end isn’t pressing. In a perfect world, the Bears would introduce a new player to their scheme during the offseason program so he could be at full speed when training camp begins.

It’s probably not the time of year or the time in the rebuild for Poles to swing big. With two first-round picks in 2024, the Bears can prioritize the pass rush in the next draft, but they need help now.

As asking prices fall, it will be interesting to see what the Bears do. A best-case scenario would be the young tackles emerging while Robinson enjoys a breakout season. Ultimately the Bears need to get out of the cycle of having to shop for a pass rusher — and they certainly don’t want a defensive back leading them in sacks again.