The Chicago Bears don't have many holes in their roster. Even so, their lack of a blue-chip pass rusher opposite Montez Sweat was a problem last season, and they didn't do anything to solve that issue this offseason.
That's why watching the Los Angeles Rams go the extra mile to trade for Myles Garrett may have put this front office in a tough spot. It raised the bar in the NFC, and it showed what truly going all-in for a Super Bowl meant.
As such, general manager Ryan Poles might still have an opportunity to save face. While most of the top-tier guys are unavailable and there's no way to get someone of Garrett's caliber, making a run at Jadeveon Clowney would at least be a major improvement.
The Bears should sign Jadeveon Clowney
Jadeveon Clowney isn't a superstar by any means, but he's the best of the bunch. Moreover, he just had 8.5 sacks on the Dallas Cowboys' historically bad defense. He was the lone bright spot in a pass-rushing unit that failed to put any sort of pressure on the quarterback.
He won't be a long-term solution at this point in his career, and given his recent history, he's likely to be out of town by the end of the season. That said, he's a productive player who can be a stopgap while they develop Austin Booker or find a young pass rusher to line up opposite Sweat.
Clowney will always be measured by his draft stock, which is why he doesn't get enough credit. He may not be the game-wrecking superstar he was in college or a prototypical No. 1 pick, but he's been a fairly decent pass rusher for most of his career, amassing 66.5 sacks, 450 total tackles, 120 tackles for loss, 149 QB hits, 36 pass breakups, 16 forced fumbles, and 11 fumble recoveries in 12 years.
The Bears' defense relied way too much on big plays and takeaways last season, and that formula isn't sustainable over time. Also, Caleb Williams won't be able to bail them out with late-game heroics every week like he did last season. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen must fix what's broken, and adding more firepower to the front seven is the right move here.
Spotrac projects Clowney's new deal to be for one year and $5.7 million. The Bears have roughly $11.2 million in available cap space, per Over The Cap, so they don't have that much cash to spare, but there are always ways to create some financial wiggle room and make moves if they truly want to.
The Rams just raised the bar and the stakes for every contender in the NFC, and the Bears just can't afford to stay put.
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