Bargain Free-Agents Bears Must Target
The Chicago Bears have built a roster that does not need much improvement throughout the preseason.
But the one area that could use an upgrade is the interior offensive line.
Nate Davis has been battling through an injury in the early part of training camp and he has not lived up to expectations at guard yet.
The Bears need to have the best protection possible for Caleb Williams and that may require an exploration into the veteran free-agent market.
ESPN's Dan Graziano noted during his visit to Bears training camp: "Watch for the team to probe the market a bit if and when a center or guard becomes available as cuts come in."
The front line of the defense may also see some improvements depending on how Austin Booker performs in preseason. The Bears need support behind Montez Sweat in the sack department.
Mark Glowinski
The obvious big name on the free-agent market for interior offensive linemen is Connor Williams.
Williams is probably too expensive for the Bears, though, so they have to explore cheaper veteran deals, or wait for players to be cut from other teams.
Mark Glowinski has nine years of experience playing guard in the NFL and he could be a solid option to bring in if the Bears are not impressed with Davis.
Glowinski's stock is not very high right now because of how the New York Giants' offensive line played as a whole last season, but in terms of experience, it is hard to find more with Glowinski.
Mason Cole
Chicago's other approach in free agency could be to add a center.
The Bears can shift Ryan Bates over to guard to take Davis' starting spot and then have an open competition at center between Coleman Shelton and a potential free agent.
Mason Cole has six seasons of playing center on his resume, most recently with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Caleb Williams could benefit from having a veteran center of Cole's caliber in training camp with him.
The problem with that, though, is the Bears would likely prefer to have some consistency under center and they may be better off signing a guard so they develop chemistry between an offensive lineman on the roster and their rookie quarterback.
Yannick Ngakoue
The Bears may want to look into bringing back Yannick Ngakoue.
They will try to give Austin Booker as much time to impress in preseason as possible, but if the fifth-round pick is not ready, the Bears could look to some veteran pass-rushing help to play opposite Sweat.
Ngakoue produced six tackles for loss and four sacks in a Chicago uniform last season. That similar level of production would be welcome in 2024.
The Bears do not have many other roster needs, so all of their focus should be on both interior lines to have the perfect combination of players in place for Week 1.