The Chicago Bears have their work cut out for them this offseason. There are plenty of positions of need heading into the 2023 offseason. Luckily for general manager Ryan Poles, he will have the means to address a lot of them.
Chicago has the most cap space in the NFL heading into free agency with nearly $95 million to spend. The team finished with the worst record in the NFL last season, so they will also have the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft at their disposal.
All signs are pointing to the Bears trading that pick for a haul of assets and building the roster up around quarterback Justin Fields. Ahead of the deadline, they made a trade attempting to do that, sending their second-round pick in the draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Chase Claypool.
However, they will still be picking in the second round. They own the No. 54 overall pick from the Baltimore Ravens from the Roquan Smith trade. Who could the Bears look to select there? Here are three second-round targets for Chicago to consider.
3. OL Darnell Wright, Tennessee
The Bears have to make some changes to the offensive line this offseason. Justin Fields was sacked a league-high 55 times despite playing in only 15 games and Chicago attempting the fewest passing attempts in the NFL.
Upgrades are needed virtually everywhere, which makes a player such as Darnell Wright a nice target in the second round. Wright played left tackle for two seasons with the Volunteers before flipping over to right tackle in 2022. He also excels in the run game, which is what the Bears’ offense is built on.
He was great in pass protection as well, surrendering only two quarterback hits and six hurries on the season without allowing a sack. Even if he has to kick inside at the next level, knowing he has experience playing tackle provides the Bears with some versatility depending on how everything else shakes out.
2. EDGE Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
The pass rush for the Bears in the 2022 season was anemic. They traded Khalil Mack in the offseason to the Los Angeles Chargers and Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the trade deadline. So, the lack of pass-rushing production wasn’t surprising, but even the least optimistic people had to be surprised by how poor it was.
Chicago had only 20 sacks on the season with rookie safety Jaquan Brisker leading the way with 4.0. This is something they will likely look to address with their first-round pick, but it will take more than one player to get the job done.
Isaiah Foskey would make for an ideal second-round target. He has upside with untapped potential but is already productive getting after the quarterback. In the last two seasons, he recorded 23 sacks on 65 pressures, adding seven quarterback hits and 35 hurries.
1. WR Nathaniel Dell, Houston
The Bears passing offense needs weapons this offseason like the desert needs water. Finding a potential No. 1 receiver in the second round will prove challenging, but there are certainly productive players capable of elevating the offense that will be available.
Tank Dell is someone that would bring some much-needed explosiveness to the Bears’ offense. He was a volume receiver at Houston, being targeted 152 times, turning that into 108 receptions for 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns.
On the smaller side measuring under 5’11”, he more than makes up for it with his change of direction, agility and athleticism. Chicago needs playmakers on offense and there aren’t many that offer the versatility that Dell does as a moveable chess piece around the formation.
