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The Chicago Bears head into 2022 with a new head coach in Matt Eberflus and will continue to try and build around 2021 first-round pick Justin Fields.
It won’t be easy this year, though. Obviously, they have a new coach for a reason and that reason is that they struggled mightily last season, finishing the year. That’s why they head into 2022 with some of the longest odds to win the Super Bowl, +8000, and sit at +600 to win the NFC North.
They’ll need to find some new faces from around the league to fit to Eberflus and his staff’s system on both sides of the ball.
Chicago Bears free agency preview
Positional needs: WR, OL, LB
There are a lot of holes to fill in Chicago, but these are three of the most glaring, with several key contributors from last season set to hit the free-agent market themselves.
Players to target
Davante Adams, WR
Three of Chicago’s top four wideouts, Allen Robinson, Damiere Byrd and Marquise Goodwin, are all slated to be free agents once the new league year rolls around. Darnell Mooney, the team’s leading receiver a year ago, will still be around, but he’s young and can’t do it all by himself.
Adams is probably the best overall receiver in the NFL. Though he’s probably going to end up wherever Aaron Rodgers is playing next season, the Bears should go all-in to get him on their team.
Ryan Jensen, C
Jensen helped anchor a Tampa Bay offensive line that won a Super Bowl in 2020 and made a deep playoff run in 2021. Now as a free agent, he may be searching for a new home after his QB, Tom Brady, retired. The Bears could use his services after their line gave up the most sacks in the NFL a year ago.
Foyesade Oluokun, LB
Oluokun led the Atlanta Falcons and the entire NFL in total tackles a year ago. They already have a top-tier linebacker in Roquan Smith in the Windy City, but they need to pair him with somebody else. The Falcon has a ridiculous amount of speed which is key in the defense that the new head coach likes to run, which was evident during his time as DC with the Colts.