The Chicago Bears have added 11 significant additions to their team in free agency this offseason. Chicago had the most cap space in the NFL to spend, and general manager Ryan Poles made good on that, using that money to start to fill holes with young talent.
Key additions in Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards will help fix the holes created at linebacker when the Bears traded away Roquan Smith last season.
Whether it’s a new starter or a depth player, these 11 additions all bring something exciting to the 2023 roster. Here’s one thing to love about each of the Bears’ free-agent additions.
LB Tremaine Edmunds: Youth
Tremaine Edmunds signed a four-year deal with the Bears this offseason at the age of 24. Youth is on the side of the rebuild of this team, bringing in a player with the talent of Edmunds.
In four seasons with Buffalo, Edmunds totaled 565 tackles with 6.5 sacks and five interceptions.
LB T.J. Edwards: Lifelong Fan
The story has gone around, but for those who have missed it, T.J. Edwards grew up a fan of the Bears. He was born just outside of Chicago and now gets to play for his hometown team.
Edwards had a great start to his young NFL career over the last few years with the Eagles. Edwards totaled 389 tackles with five sacks and two interceptions in four seasons.
G Nate Davis: Upgrade
Nate Davis comes to Chicago with one goal in mind; protect Justin Fields. Davis was rated 70.8 in 2022 by Pro Football Focus and will be considered an upgrade when he is plugged into the current offense.
Fields has been sacked the most out of any quarterback on average per game since he joined the NFL in 2021. Something needed to change and Ryan Poles made moves to do that.
DE DeMarcus Walker: Pass rush
DeMarcus Walker can get to the quarterback, which is something this Bears’ defense needed desperately last season. Walker had seven sacks in 2022, which was a career-high. He only took 37% of the snaps on defense for the Titans in 2022 and still got to the quarterback as much as he did, imagine what he can do when he is getting more time on the field.
Whether he ends up winning a starting spot or not, Walker is going to be a great rotational piece on this team. It’ll be interesting to see how often he is used in Matt Eberflus’ defense.
RB D’Onta Foreman: Security
By no means is D’Onta Foreman going to be considered better than David Montgomery, but he is going to add some security and depth behind Khalil Herbert, who is likely going to take the reins from Montgomery now that he has left Chicago.
Foreman had 203 carries for 914 rushing yards and five touchdowns after replacing Christian McCaffrey in Carolina last season. With the way Chicago ran the ball last season, expect to see similar numbers out of Foreman in 2023.
RB Travis Homer: Depth
Travis Homer signed a cheap, two-year deal with the Bears this offseason. He is coming in as a depth running back, with the potential to make an impact if called upon. It wouldn’t be the first time a depth running back made a big impact if called upon, as projected starter Herbert was the third-string running back in Chicago just two seasons ago.
Homer has 83 carries for 453 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in his NFL career.
QB PJ Walker: Athleticism
Though PJ Walker doesn’t bring the ability to run the football the same way Fields does, he’s an athletic quarterback with a big arm, who can extend plays in the pocket. He’s going to be serviceable, and as Fields has missed time in each of his first two seasons, Chicago is going to need that in a backup quarterback. Walker was the first XFL player signed to an NFL roster back in 2020.
Walker hasn’t been great in the air in his short NFL career. He has five passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and just 1,461 passing yards in 15 games with seven starts.
DT Andrew Billings: Technique
Andrew Billings has made positive comments since joining the Bears about the defensive technique he’ll be running and the comfort he has with it. Billings is used to 1-technique with a nose tackle compared to what they ran in Las Vegas last season, a 2-1.
Billings started in 14 games last season, earning a 76.4 grade from Pro Football Focus. He will look to expand on that in 2023.
TE Robert Tonyan: Red zone
Robert Tonyan is another homegrown Chicago product who spent his first five years with the rival Packers. Tonyan excels as a receiver, particularly in the red zone, where he provides a big-bodied receiving threat for Fields.
Tonyan will complement starter Cole Kmet, giving the Bears a 1-2 punch at tight end. Tonyan has experience in Luke Getsy’s scheme, having played with Getsy in Green Bay from 2019-21. Last season, Tonyan had 53 receptions on 63 targets for 470 yards with two touchdowns.
LB Dylan Cole: Special teams
Dylan Cole comes to Chicago on a one-year contract after playing just 43% of the defensive snaps for the Titans in 2022. Cole will add much-needed depth to the Bears linebacker corps, but will likely remain as a special teams player for the majority of his time in Chicago.
In 2021, Cole recorded 10 special teams tackles and a forced fumble, showing just what he can do when he is playing that phase of the game.
DL Rasheem Green: Versatility
Rasheem Green is a versatile defensive player with experience as a linebacker, defensive end, and interior defensive lineman. With the ability to play more than one position, Green is going to be used in rotation, adding depth where needed.
In Green’s five-year career, he’s totaled 136 tackles, 17 sacks and three forced fumbles. He’s going to be a force in the pass rush, something Chicago lacked in 2022.
