The Chicago Bears will be looking to upgrade their pass rush this offseason, and a popular target among fans has been veteran Khalil Mack. The former Bears edge rusher was set to hit free agency this week. However, that has changed as the window of opportunity for Chicago was slammed shut when he agreed to return to the Los Angeles Chargers on a one-year, $18 million contract on Saturday.
The news dashed any hopes of a homecoming between the two sides, but it also has more repercussions. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears “could use pass-rush help,” but he also “doesn’t sense that Chicago is desperate for a splashy pass rusher” and “Much will depend on the price.”
That comment makes it seem like a Mack reunion was far less likely than had been speculated, and it could have the Bears in a tough spot as they enter a crowded market for pass-rushers with the legal tampering window set to open on Monday morning.
Bears Facing Consequences After Whiffing on Khalil Mack
The edge rusher market took a major hit when Mack was signed, but that wasn't the only major shake-up at that premier position, with Maxx Crosby being traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Baltimore Ravens in a deal that will become official when the new league year begins on Wednesday afternoon. With Mack and Crosby finding new homes, it should create a frenzy between teams looking for pass-rushing help, as Fowler reports the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots could be active in the coming days.
If price is a factor, as Fowler suggests, the Bears could be in big trouble. Trey Hendrickson is the top available pass rusher on the market, but Fowler believes the Cowboys have been interested in him “dating back to the trade deadline.”
Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh, and Boye Mafe are also top names on the market but are “firmly on Dallas’ radar in the coming days.” Plain and simple, Chicago will have to beat out Dallas, among others, for any of these names this offseason.
With the Bears unlikely to swing a divisional trade with the Minnesota Vikings for Jonathan Greenard, the options may already be drying up. Joey Bosa, Joseph Ossai, and K’Lavon Chaisson could all be intriguing targets for Chicago. Their respective prices are likely to skyrocket when free agency opens, though, with teams that miss out on the first tier looking to cut their losses and, ultimately, overpay the second tier.
Of course, this would all be bad for Chicago heading into next season. The Bears had one of the most meager pass rushes in football last season, tying for 22nd with 35 sacks and ranking 22nd with a 21.1 percent pressure rate. Adding Mack would have gone a long way towards improving those numbers, even though he only had 5.5 sacks and a 14.1 percent pressure rate last season, per Pro Football Focus. Now, Chicago will have to hope a solid pass rusher slips through the cracks when free agency begins.
It makes missing out on Mack sting a little more for the Bears, who are looking to build on their first divisional title in 2018. With free agency looking like a battle, they may have to roll the dice on a draft pick to have an immediate impact or hope for some internal improvement in 2026.