The Chicago Bears were thin on the edge of the defense before second-year reserve Austin Booker hurt his knee during the preseason and hit IR for at least a month, rendering the problem even worse.
Chicago added depth to the defensive line in the offseason, including at the defensive end position by inking Dayo Odeyingbo. But he is a better run defender than edge rusher (16.5 sacks in 61 career games, including 3.0 sacks last season) and is liable to rotate inside with frequency on obvious passing downs.
That leaves Montez Sweat as the sole pure pass rusher in the position group coming off a down year in which his sack production dipped by more than half season over season (12.5 sacks in 2023 to 5.5 sacks in 2024). The two reserve DEs are Dominique Robinson (2.0 career sacks) and Daniel Hardy, who has never recorded a sack in his NFL career.
The Bears are solid on the interior of the defensive front and should be able to get some pressure from there. And despite questions at the No. 2 cornerback spot, the secondary should also be more than reliable if healthy.
Still, the lack of a pass-rush presence is going to put more pressure on other areas of the defense, which the team will ask to do more than their fair share week in and week out in a brutally tough NFC North division.
As such, Chicago should pursue a veteran defensive end in free agency to bridge the gap in 2025, as the team looks to make a leap from 5-12 last year under new head coach Ben Johnson. There are a couple of reasonable options, though the one who makes perhaps the most sense is Jadeveon Clowney.
Jadeveon Clowney Fits Bears’ Precise Needs at Defensive End Position
GettyFormer Carolina Panthers defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
Clowney will play this season, his 11th in the league, at 32 years old. He most recently played for the Carolina Panthers after signing a two-year, $20 million deal to join that franchise in March 2024.
Clowney was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft and is a three-time Pro Bowler as well as a one-time All-Pro. His days of elite performance off the edge are probably over, but he’s still an strong option in pure pass-rushing situations.
Chicago could use Clowney in the same manner as his other teams have over the last three seasons, appearing on roughly 60 percent of defensive snaps with a primary focus on disrupting the pocket.
Clowney has tallied 139 quarterback hits, 108 tackles for loss and 58 sacks across 140 career games. He produced 22 pressures and 5.5 sacks last season in 14 starts.
Jadeveon Clowney Likely Less Expensive Option Than Za’Darius Smith
GettyFormer Detroit Lions edge rusher Za’Darius Smith.
The Bears wouldn’t have to pay Clowney enormous money, even despite his specifically valuable skill set at a premier position. Chicago could likely bring him in on a one-year contract for less than $10 million annually after Carolina waived him in May.
Other teams could have interest, including the Detroit Lions who have minimal depth behind Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions could reunite with Za’Darius Smith, who also remains a free agent, though Clowney might be less expensive and therefore more appealing.
The Bears could, and probably should, look at Smith as well. However, he appears to have more juice than Clowney at this point and might push for a two-year deal. Chicago may be hesitant to offer a contract sheet like that to a 33-year-old when the team could find less expensive and longer-term solutions in the 2026 draft or take a swing on a superstar like Trey Hendrickson in free agency next March.
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