Matt Eberflus referenced a 40-day window between the end of the Chicago Bears’ minicamp Thursday and the opening of training camp in late July as a period for players working through injuries, such as wide receivers Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney, to get up to speed.
It’s also nearly six weeks for general manager Ryan Poles to add a veteran edge rusher to the mix for a defense that certainly looks like it could use one.
Eberflus said late last month the team was interested in a lot of free agents and after Wednesday’s second minicamp session at Halas Hall, he said, “That is one position we are looking at and potentially we could get that done” when asked directly about adding pass-rush help in the weeks ahead.
Yannick Ngakoue, the well-traveled defensive end who spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts, looms as the best remaining option after Leonard Floyd (Buffalo Bills) and Frank Clark (Denver Broncos) were signed last week. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Ngakoue has changed agents, switching from Adisa Bakari to Drew Rosenhaus, with a goal of having a contract before training camp.
Whether a deal comes together or not remains to be seen. Ngakoue recently said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he hopes to join a contender. In mid-June, three months after free agency opened, the list of suitors has probably been reduced. One source with a team monitoring the edge rusher market said, as of a month ago, Ngakoue was seeking a contract in the range of $8 million to $10 million per year. Recent market activity for Floyd ($7 million base salary) and Clark ($5.5 million base) has been below that and both veterans signed one-year deals.
What the Bears do have on the edge right now is a willing leader in DeMarcus Walker, someone who seems comfortable being in that position as a newcomer.
“D-Walk is high energy,” free safety Eddie Jackson said. “He’s gonna call you out. Just (to) have a guy like that, first year, don’t care about the face, just comes in, he loves football and he’s ready to call guys out, hold guys accountable, and I feel like no one has the poor-mes or pointing the finger. We’re all going out there and we’re all ready to work.”
The Bears signed Walker to a $21 million, three-year contract with $15.65 million guaranteed early in free agency. It’s his fourth team in four seasons and he arrives after posting a career-high seven sacks as a rotational lineman for the Tennessee Titans a year ago. Most of Walker’s pass-rushing production came when he was lined up inside in pressure fronts for coach Mike Vrabel.
Walker has been playing both end positions in minicamp. Eberflus says they’re just seeing what fits well for him right now and added he could see him inside in pass-rushing situations. But is Walker, who had 12 1/2 sacks over his first five NFL seasons, enough with some rookie defensive tackles to jump-start the NFL’s last-ranked pass rush from a year ago?
Possibly, but the Bears are likely keeping tabs on the market. Maybe it doesn’t result in a deal. In that case, the defense will be relying on a breakthrough season or two from a group that includes Trevis Gipson, who have seven sacks in 2021, Dominique Robinson, Rasheem Green or maybe even Terrell Lewis, who looked good against first-round draft pick Darnell Wright on Tuesday even if it was without pads.
“I think he can do that,” Eberflus said of Lewis, who was fast around the edge in a two-minute drill Tuesday, creating a sack or pressure on three out of four snaps. “I really think that’s what his trait is, is his ability to get off on the football and rush the passer. We’ll see how far it goes during training camp and see how far he goes with it.”
With Jackson already taking notice of Walker, that’s a strong sign he’ll be valuable in the locker room and not just a voice for fellow D-linemen. The roster remains young and many of the lessons learned by youngsters a year ago were of the what-not-to-do variety for a three-win team.
“Forgot about that crap,” said Walker, in reference to the 2022 season. “Man, honestly (after) the first few weeks, you see what we’re working with, what’s the cause of that. But this is the 2023 Chicago Bears. We’ve got a whole new identity, whole new defense, whole new offense, whole new group of guys that’s going out there willing to fight and lead. So honestly, (forget that). You know what I’m saying? Last year’s done.”
And this year has not started. There’s still time for more help on the edge.
