Bears Blitz

Published by Zach Kruse on March 13, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

If one report on free-agent defensive end Mario Williams is true, then NFC North quarterbacks better buckle their chinstraps tight next season. It could be a long season dropping back to pass.

According to John Mullin of CSN Chicago, the Chicago Bears are considered the front-runners to land Williams once free agency begins Tuesday, March 13.

The Bears will go into the hours leading to the start of free agency considered around the league to be the favorite in the competition to sign defensive end Mario Williams away from the Houston Texans, CSNChicago.com has learned from a number of NFL sources.

As Mullins states, the Bears have money to spend and a target in mind. When those two factors combine, the Bears rarely miss in free agency.

But the Bears have been expected to be prime players in free agency this year, have been in the past when they have identified target players, and they are seldom beaten to a player they covet.

If signed by the Bears, Williams would team with Julius Peppers to form one of the best pass-rushing duos at defensive end the NFL has seen in some time. The two players have a combined 154 sacks in the NFL during their respective careers.

The Bears have made no secret about their interest in adding more pass rush this offseason. While the draft offers a few impact players in the first round and free agency may have a rusher or two, no player in either forum has the combination of physical prowess and accomplished production that Williams possesses.

A former No. 1 overall pick, Williams stands 6’6″ and weighs almost 285 pounds. Put him opposite Peppers, who is 6’7″ and 283 pounds, and the Bears have a pass-rushing tandem that can help an aging defense combat the high-flying offenses that scatter both the NFC North and NFL landscape as a whole.

A subplot to this story is the Bears’ perceived interest in free-agent receiver Vincent Jackson, who would certainly command a salary that eliminates Chicago from pursuing both players. The Bears will need to ultimately decide which need requires more help monetarily: production from receiver or pass rush from the defensive line.

One must consider that new Bears GM Phil Emery rarely looked to spend big money on receivers on the open market in Kansas City, but helped draft Dwayne Bowe and Jonathan Baldwin in the first round of the NFL draft.

And we all know that defensive-minded head coach Lovie Smith has an authoritative voice in free-agency meetings. He very well could covet Williams on the open market.    

The Bears will have plenty of competition for Williams, as almost every NFL team is looking for more pass rush this offseason.

Williams, the top pass rusher available in free agency, may warrant a contract that pushes the Bears completely out of contention. Remember, Peppers signed a six-year, $91 million deal back in March 2010 to leave Carolina for Chicago.

Would the Bears be ready to commit such a whopping cap number to two players?

Either way, it looks like the Bears will be participants in this race as the teams get to the starting line of free agency. Whether or not Williams is holding a blue and orange Bears jersey at the finish line remains to be seen.  

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