Chicago Bears fans are fully in offseason mode after another disappointing NFL season. While promise was shown here and there, the Bears ultimately left fans wanting more, going 7-10 and missing the playoffs for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons.
The Bears faithful now wait to see how general manager Ryan Poles handles the offseason — especially free agency. Spotrac lists the Bears as having 16 pending free agents and while some don't deserve to be re-signed, others deserve another shot in the Windy City.
Let's look at five pending free agents who the Bears should let walk this offseason.
1. Yannick Ngakoue, DE
Bears fans expected a lot from Yannick Ngakoue after he signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the franchise last offseason. After all, Chicago finished with the fewest sacks in 2022 (20) and was getting a former Pro Bowl defensive end who recorded 19.5 sacks across the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Unfortunately, Ngakoue couldn't live up to his lofty price tag. The former Maryland star finished with career-lows in tackles (22), lost yardage tackles (6), and sacks (4.0). If that isn't awful enough, Pro Football Focus gave him a defensive grade of 39.9 for his efforts (or lack thereof), resulting in his being the second-worst-graded edge defender out of 112 eligible players.
Whether Ngakoue wants another $10.5 million or is willing to take a pay cut, the Bears must let him walk. He just isn't the same player that he once was and rostering him while his decline continues would be a massive mistake. It's better to replace him with a cheaper, younger option at this stage.
2. Darnell Mooney, WR
Even though fourth-year wideout Darnell Mooney is quite the fan favorite, his future with the Bears is unclear at the moment.
Chicago fans thought they had something special on their hands back in 2021 when Mooney ended his sophomore campaign with 1,055 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 81 receptions. His 140 targets that season also led to the fanbase wondering if he'd be one of Justin Fields' most-used weapons for years to come.
But much to the fans' dismay, Mooney's development has stalled. After a 1,000-yard campaign two years ago, the ex-Tulane playmaker has only turned 71 receptions into 907 yards and three TDs across 27 games over the last two seasons. He was an especially unreliable target in 2023, only catching 50.8% of passes thrown his way (with 3 drops) while tallying a putrid 57.7 passer rating when target.
To put things into perspective, Fields would've ranked 54th out of 59 quarterbacks if he recorded a 57.7 passer rating all season.
If Mooney is willing to take a cheap deal, I'd be okay with another season with him in a WR3 role. Having said that, Spotrac lists his projected market value at $10.4 million per year. If that truly is his asking price, all I can say is adios!
3. Robert Tonyan, TE
The Bears had one of the worst passing games in 2023 and Robert Tonyan didn't exactly do much to help fix that struggle.
The former Green Bay Packers tight end was practically invisible throughout the campaign despite playing all 17 games. His 64.7% catch percentage was a major decrease from last year's number (79.1%) as he hauled in 11-of-17 targets for only 112 receiving yards without a TD. His 6.6 yards per game was also, by far, his lowest output since his rookie campaign (4.4).
When a tight end struggles to put up offensive numbers, the hope is that they can at least be a solid blocker. Unfortunately, Tonyan couldn't do that either. His 38.9 PFF run block grade was the second-worst mark on the team, only better than Mooney at 30.1.
With fellow TE Cole Kmet beginning to make $11.5 million in 2024, I see the Bears going with a rookie for the TE2 role over Tonyan next season. After all, it's hard to imagine even a first-year rookie having worse production than the 29-year-old.
4. Lucas Patrick, C
Lucas Patrick's tenure in Chicago has been forgettable, to say the least. After joining the team on a two-year contract back in 2022, the former Duke blocker's campaign was interrupted by a season-ending toe injury that limited him to just seven games. Nevertheless, he was expected to make a full recovery, leaving fans hoping for a bounce-back showcase in 2023.
Although the Brentwood, TN native ended up playing in 16 games this season, I wouldn't say he bounced back. Patrick was awful for the most part, allowing a whopping 28 pressures on 562 pass-block snaps while leading the NFL with 11 penalties taken.
The 30-year-old was given a PFF offensive grade of 50.5, placing him as the 30th-ranked center out of 36. Adding salt to the wound, his 40.6 pass-block grade was also the fifth-worst at his position and fourth-worst among all offensive linemen who played at least 250 pass-block snaps.
At this point in his career, it's clear that Patrick is who he is and he likely won't get any better. If the Bears want to protect their franchise QB — whether that's Fields or someone drafted this April — cutting ties with the former Blue Devil is in Chicago's best interest.
5. D'Onta Foreman, RB
Bears fans are somewhat split regarding what to do with running back D'Onta Foreman this offseason.
The veteran rusher was far from awful, turning 109 carries into 425 rushing yards and four TDs across nine games (8 starts). He also hauled in 11-of-16 targets (68.8%) for another 77 yards with a touchdown. With fellow RB Khalil Herbert missing five games, it was nice to have someone like Foreman (and rookie Roschon Johnson) in the fold.
Nonetheless, not everything was perfect. For starters, Foreman's 3.9 rushing yards per carry was a new career-low for him. He also had a negative presence as a blocker, finishing with a team-worst 29.5 pass-block grade, which also ranked 11th-worst among RBs who played at least 24 pass-block snaps.
Additionally, it was the umpteenth time that Foreman's campaign was derailed by injuries. After all, he's played 10 or fewer games in all but one of his six campaigns in the league. Regardless of how solid he is when healthy, his injury history can't be overlooked.
With Johnson and Herbert still under contract (as well as Travis Homer), I'm content with letting Foreman test free agency. It certainly wouldn't hurt to replace him with an RB who can both block and stay healthy for a full season.
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