Chicago Bears Free Agency: Overlooked defensive players still available

4. DE Vinny Curry

Heading into 2019, here’s what we know about the starters on the Bears defensive line: Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman will lead the charge. However, opposite Hicks, the Bears lack a consistent defensive end. In 2018, it was mainly Jonathan Bullard, Bilal Nichols, and Roy Robertson-Harris that each started at some point in the season. Of the three, it is Nichols who projects to be a starter in 2019.

However, with a full season of tape on Nichols, teams will find ways to slow down the 2018 fifth-round pick. This means the Bears should look to find a player that can take some of the workload off Nichols.

A player who fits this bill could be Vinny Curry. Heading into his eighth season, Curry could perhaps be one of the most underrated players still available in NFL free agency. Although he’s got just one year as a starter, Curry has played a valuable role wherever he’s gone.

The reality is that with Curry, you’re getting a player who’d be a rotational pass rusher for the Bears but could also compete with Bullard and Roy Robertson-Harris or could even challenge Nichols for the starting spot.

If the Bears want to see what having a deep defensive line is like and how it can help a team reach a Super Bowl, then Ryan Pace should look at the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles as an example. In Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LII victory, the Eagles defensive line made all the difference in the world for the Eagles. The Bears should follow the same pattern and add more players to an already deep group.