5 Free Agents the Bears Should Target After Day 1 of Free Agency
Published by Luke Gorham on March 12, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Day one of free agency has come and gone, but the Bears still have more needs to address. After one of the busiest, most frenetic starts to free agency in recent memory, one which saw the Bears sign both Lamarr Houston and Ryan Mundy, the more subtle work can begin. Day one of free agency exists for splashy signings and so that big name players can tantalize fans across the league. The next few days are when elite rosters are built.
The Bears addressed two of their biggest needs on day one, signing Lamarr Houston to replace Julius Peppers (who was always going to be cut), and Ryan Mundy to replace free agent Major Wright. Houston, though perhaps not quite the best defensive end on the market, was a great fit for Chicago as he excels against the run, ranking 5th last year among 4-3 defensive ends according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). This makes sense as a reactionary move for the Bears after finishing with a historically bad run defense in 2013.
The rationale behind the Mundy signing is a little more opaque. Like Wright, Mundy works best as a box safety, playing close to the line against the run and smacking receivers coming across the middle. Albeit, Mundy represents a considerable upgrade over PFF‘s worst-ranked safety in 2013, but he doesn’t make a world of difference in coverage, which is what the Bears need in their deep secondary right now.
Still, for Bears’ fans day one should be considered a relative success. Upgrades were signed that addressed specific weaknesses from the 2013 roster, and considerable cap has been saved by cutting overpaid and under-effective players like Peppers and Michael Bush. Thinking optimistically (which is valid in the Emery/Trestman era of more liberal free agent signings), here are five free agents the Bears’ should still be targeting.
