Chicago Bears: Free agents to sign from NFC North
By Usayd Koshul
2. DE/OLB Stephen Weatherly, Minnesota Vikings
The Bears need to add a third outside linebacker this offseason. And it needs to be done in order to take pressure off Khalil Mack and make Leonard Floyd earn his starting job and his $13.2 million dollar salary.
Stephen Weatherly is a name to consider. A seventh-round pick of the Vikings back in 2016, Weatherly received little playing time his first two years in the NFL. Then, in 2018, he had six starts, notching three sacks, six tackles for loss, and eight quarterback hits.
In 2019, he’d have a similar performance, with three sacks, 5 tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits. While these stats may not jump off the page, it’s clear that the Vikings did a great job developing a guy who was a seventh-rounder and turning him into a reliable player.
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Weatherly isn’t expected to break the bank, so an ideal contract for him would be a two or three-year deal worth five or six million dollars. The Bears would have a short-term commitment to him and could end up reaping the rewards for a very cheap price.