As free agency and draft prep continues, many are wondering if the Bears will add more to their OL.
With free agency drifting into its third week in a few days, things have slowed down quite a bit.
There’s been a trickle of low-end, special teams and depth signings, but nothing that gets fans excited like those early days.
This is natural, but there are still a lot of good players out there that would be a fit for teams, and that could very well end up as starters.
The NFL Owners Meetings are coming up, and it’s typical that this brings another wave of moves.
Similar to the Combine, it’s one of the few times in the calendar when the entire NFL world is in the same place, meaning that coaches and owners are around, which usually means some agents will be around, too. Deals are bound to happen.
While Chicago Bears fans spent the early part of March celebrating the moves the team did make, attention is now turning to the moves they haven’t.
Where’s the offensive line help?
So let’s look at some of the names remaining on the free agent market that the Bears could look to add ahead of the draft.
Billy Turner, T – Turner should be familiar with the Bears’ scheme from his time playing for the Green Bay Packers when Luke Getsy was an assistant. They overlapped from 2019-2021. Turner started 43 games over those three seasons at tackle and guard. That kind of flexibility and scheme familiarity cannot be overstated at this point in the offseason. Turner was injured last season and started only seven games for the Denver Broncos.
Isaiah Wynn, T – A disappointment in New England after being a first-round pick, Wynn could be a nice addition with starting experience and a prime candidate to compete with a draft pick. As an end-all, be-all expected starter he would leave a lot to be desired.
Cameron Erving, RT – The Bears have been adding a lot of Carolina Panthers castoffs, leading to many jokes. While some are hoping for bad things for Carolina, others are calling the Bears the Chicago Panthers. Erving would continue the migration of Panthers to Chicago. He started zero games last year and has bounced around the league. This is the point in free agency where it’s harder to find bone fide starters that don’t have questions or drawbacks, but Erving would come with experience and the potential to compete with a rookie.
Cameron Fleming, RT – Fleming is a bit of a late bloomer. After starting just 26 of his first 75 NFL games, he’s started 35 of his last 36 games. He was a 15-game starter for the Denver Broncos in 2022.
Jesse Davis, T – Davis has experience at guard and tackle. He was a starter with the Miami Dolphins over his first four years in. the league but last year had zero starts after Pittsburgh traded a seventh-round pick to acquire him.
Conner McGovern, C – The expectation right now is that the Bears will move Cody Whitehair back to center and draft one in the second or third round of the draft. But what if they just signed one to hold down the fort until a rookie was ready? Whitehair is a fine center. Not great, but not a liability. They could do better than Whitehair and McGovern comes with a load of starts (84 games).
Who would you like to see the Bears add on the o-line?
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