Chicago Bears: 5 defensive free agents to stay away from

The Bears have some voids to fill if they are going to continue thriving as a top ten defense, but which free agents should they steer clear from?

The Chicago Bears have, like many other teams, begun their cap casualty releases. Already, the team had announced the likes of former Pro Bowlers Jerrell Freeman and Josh Sitton will not be retained.

Focusing on a gap to fill left on the defensive side of the ball with Freeman’s departure can bring up several options for Chicago. Ryan Pace could choose to promote within, going with a guy like Nick Kwiatkoski, or head in a different direction via free agency or the draft. There will be some hot names whom the Bears May choose to grab in this year’s prospect class, but free agency may also be the right way to go.

With March 14th rapidly approaching, teams are gearing up for a much anticipated free agency period. The Bears have  decent amount of cap space with roughly $52 million as it stands now, and that number will likely grow as cuts continue.

Like inside linebacker, Chicago has a few spots they need to shore up on their defense. Specifically, cornerback, outside linebacker and even some depth on the line would be ideal positions to fill.

While there are several solid players worth pursuing, there will also be some rumored names that the Bears must stay away from. Whether it be due to age, injury or unstable performance on the field, Pace has to do his homework on the following five guys and hopefully stay away from them.

Derrick Johnson has led one heck of a career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. He should no doubt be in the Hall of Fame conversation when eligible, but for now he has assured the world he would love to continue playing. Sadly, for Chiefs fans, it will not be at Arrowhead.

Johnson has had five career seasons with 100-plus tackles. He’s been a versatile player his entire career. But, last season was just the second time he failed to register a single sack or interception. The first time was due to missing essentially the entire year with an injury.

I understand the desire for a guy like Johnson to come to Chicago. He is a big name with a proven track record. His presence in the locker room would definitely be welcomed. But, if Pace is truly trying to head in a certain direction, Johnson can’t be part of the equation.

That direction, of course, is youth. Freeman was released as part of this movement for the defense. Even Sitton’s release had, in part, to do with the youth uprising in Chicago.

I would not be surprised if the Bears continue cutting players who are either getting up there in age or have struggled to stay healthy, especially when it comes to the defense. Vic Fangio has proven to do wonders with this mostly-younger roster, and if given the choice, I’d bet he would choose to keep it young.

If Pace wants to keep this train going, Johnson will likely be a name the Bears will skip out on.

If there were awards given out to some of the better guys to have around your locker room, Mitch Unrein would absolutely be a recipient. Having spent three of his years as a pro with the Bears, Unrein has kind of been one of those ‘glue guys’ so to speak.

In 2018, though, Unrein is an unrestricted free agent. With the flow of the offseason already showing a movement toward youth, like previously stated, Unrein should not be brought back.

The eight year pro will be 31 years old by the time the 2018 campaign begins, and that is simply not the type of player Pace would bring back with the way things have been looking lately. I can understand the temptation, with him being well-liked around the organization, but the Bears would be wise to let him move on.

Unrein has not been a terrible player by any means. The fact of the matter is, though, he hasn’t been spectacular either. Unrein has never shown me anything that blew me away. He isn’t the fastest. He isn’t the strongest. He is more of a guy that you could rely on to fill in ever so often when your main guys need a rest.

Again, I do not want to knock the guy too hard. He has been a great teammate, but an average player. In seven years, he has only registered 4.5 sacks. As a defensive lineman in today’s NFL, you should be able to put up much better than that.

Not every defensive lineman is capable of double digit sacks year in and year out, but that low of a number in seven seasons is not good enough to reason keeping on your roster. If I’m Pace, I give him a warm send-off and wish him well.

This might surprise some fans out there. I have seen many keep a name like Dontari Poe in the conversation of guys Pace should go after.

Poe strikes me as a guy who would have been a perfect fit for a one-year contract — last year.

The problem is, Pace is king of the one-year ‘prove it’ contracts. He is notorious for handing many of those deals out, and he would be one year too late for a player like Poe. His one-year deal came last year with the Atlanta Falcons and he took advantage of it.

One of the plus sides of potentially bringing in Poe is the fact that he has remained healthy throughout his career. Poe has played 16, 15, 16, 15, 16 and 16 games over his six seasons as a pro. That type of durability cannot be found too often.

In 2016, his last season with the Kansas City Chiefs, Poe compiled a grade of 74.4. Last year, that number rose significantly.

Poe will likely command just a little too much money on the market, and I would not put it past the Falcons to bring him back after a successful stint in 2017. I think if Pace wants to add to his front seven, a guy like Chris Baker makes much more sense at a cheaper price. That way, he could add another edge rusher like Ziggy Ansah to pair up with Leonard Floyd.

The other downside, other than finances, is that Poe has a history of being questioned for his effort. Of course, like I have said before about similar players, the right environment could change that completely. But, with that and the likelihood of a steep contract, I would guess the Bears would not bother talking to Poe altogether.

Vontae Davis’ name has been a hot one thrown around by Bears fans and media all over. I, for one, do not understand the hype around him. Neither should the Bears brass.

Davis has not been even remotely close to a good corner in a few years. One of the reasons why is most definitely his injuries. He missed 11 games in 2017 and a couple in 2016. The veteran will turn 30 before the start of the 2018 season and, as I have hammered previously, that doesn’t bode well for a defense like the Bears.

An often-injured 30-year-old cornerback is nothing the Bears want to be involved with at this point. Having been among the most injured rosters over the last few seasons, Davis just would not fit in. Chicago is trying to rid themselves of aging players with a history of injuries, not add them.

One of the problems, from the get-go, is that it didn’t appear Chicago was a choice for Davis. That is not to say that Pace won’t reach out for a meeting still, but thankfully it does not appear likely. At the moment, Davis has visited the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders.

Chicago would be taking a step back in more than one way by bringing in Davis. They would be much better off addressing this need with a guy like Trumaine Johnson. Other options which may be appealing to Bears fans could be found in Denzel Ward or Minkah Fitzpatrick via the draft. Going younger is always a great plan, especially with a coach like Fangio who will get the best out of a rookie.

Sometimes, one play can define a player’s entire career. Just ask Malcolm Butler. The guy makes one play to single-handedly win a Super Bowl for his New England Patriots a few years ago and all of the sudden he becomes a household name.

There is absolutely nothing that can convince me this guy is a top corner in the NFL. Actually, there is nothing that could convince me he is even one of the top 15 in football. Anyone who thinks so is either from Boston or they are delusional.

Pro Football Focus looks at him as a high-risk, high-reward type of corner. I would even go so far as to take out the ‘high reward’ portion, because he is more of a liability than an asset. He is average. He is not anything more than that, but because of one single play, he is going to get paid.

That is fine with me if another team wants to pay up for a guy that consistently allows quarterbacks to look fantastic against him. As for myself, I would not be happy in the least bit if Butler became a Bear.

Also, does anyone want to explain what happened in this year’s Super Bowl? Why wasn’t he on the field? His take on the matter seemed a bit childish. He pouted — plain and simple. If you want my opinion, I trust Bill Belichick on this one. Rarely is he wrong. He makes decisions that plenty of people question, but I wouldn’t dare do such a thing.

Butler belongs somewhere other than Chicago. It’s simple. For fans who think otherwise, they better start looking at the facts.

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