The Chicago Bears have an offensive mastermind pulling the strings. They have a former No. 1 pick at quarterback, a myriad of talent at wide receiver and tight end, a solid offensive line, and a bruising running back with a chip on his shoulder.
On paper, the defending NFC North champions should be poised for another big postseason run in the second year of the Ben Johnson era. However, you can't expect to win by simply outscoring everyone else; you must also get stops.
The Bears' defense was efficient at times but also wildly volatile. It also struggled to put pressure on the quarterback, and with no moves to address that issue, it could be this team's most glaring Achilles' heel next season.
Fortunately for general manager Ryan Poles, the Bears can still prevent that. Jadeveon Clowney is still a free agent, and while he's not a superstar, raising the pass-rushing unit's floor might be just enough to propel this team to Super Bowl contention.
The Bears need to sign Jadeveon Clowney before training camp
Clowney never lived up to the hype. He looked like a game-wrecking headhunter at South Carolina, and as a former No. 1 pick, his career has been pretty underwhelming. However, if he's not judged by those standards, he's actually fared pretty well.
Even last season, playing for the Dallas Cowboys' historically bad defense, Clowney amassed 8.5 sacks and 41 total tackles in just 13 games played (6 starts). He's been a productive player everywhere, and as the journeyman he is, he'd probably appreciate playing for a team with Super Bowl aspirations for a change.
The Bears already have a true star in Montez Sweat, but whoever starts opposite is the defense's biggest question mark. Even if he's healthy, Dayo Odeyingbo is far from a star, and Austin Booker might not be ready to take a leap.
This team is playing a dangerous game by not focusing on what's clearly their biggest weakness, and overvaluing their roster could come back to hurt them when it matters the most. Caleb Williams is great, but he won't bail them out every week like he did last season.
The greater is much more than the sum of its parts. Even if Clowney isn't Maxx Crosby or Myles Garrett, he can still have a massive impact on this team just by providing decent play out of the edge. The Bears are knocking on the door, and this move might look small on paper, but it might be just what they need to push through.
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