3 Best Remaining Free Agents the Bears Can Still Sign After the Draft

2. Shaq Lawson, EDGE

When it comes to adding free agents late in the game, it's never a bad idea to start looking around at players who might have connections to the coaching staff one way or another. That certainly would apply to someone like Shaq Lawson, who has spent the entirety of his NFL career in the AFC East, but most of which with the Buffalo Bills.

And while with the Bills, Lawson played for current Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington, who was previously the assistant head coach and defensive line coach in Buffalo.

So if anyone knows Shaq Lawson well, it's Washington.

That familiarity could pay dividends for both Lawson and the Bears as he remains available this offseason after racking up 7 QB hits on 321 defensive snaps for the Bills last year. There was a point in Lawson's career where he was more of a full-time player and consistent threat off the edge, but the former first-rounder has been a bit of a disappointment given his NFL Draft status (19th overall pick in 2016).

Even so, Lawson is a veteran who has stuck around for a long while, and he could provide some depth at a key position for the Chicago Bears in 2024.