Free Agents Bears Should Pursue After 2024 NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears positioned themselves to make one of the biggest jumps in record in the 2024 NFL season.

The Bears have Caleb Williams under center and a trio of strong wide receivers for him to work with.

The running back and tight end situations are promising as well, which means the Bears could contend for the NFC North in Williams' rookie campaign.

The additions that general manager Ryan Poles made on defense over the last few years should continue to reap rewards as well.

Chicago's roster does not contain many holes at the moment, but it should explore the free-agent market to add a bit more depth before training camp begins because you can never be 100 percent satisfied with your roster in the NFL.

The Bears should look into bringing Yannick Ngakoue back to their pass-rush.

The veteran edge-rusher produced seven quarterback hits, six tackles for loss and four sacks last season.

Chicago could use any extra production it receives from the position opposite Montez Sweat in order to get its offense on the field as much as possible in 2024.

Sweat will be the team's primary pass-rusher, but if someone of Ngakoue's experience is on the other side, it will force opposing offenses to be honest with their blocking schemes.

Ngakoue should only come back on a one-year deal. The signing could be worth it because of his familiarity with the franchise.

Bud Dupree quietly produced 6.5 sacks inside the Atlanta Falcons defense in 2023.

The veteran edge-rusher had not recorded that high of a sack total since the 2020 campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The performances in Atlanta last season may intrigue the Bears front office to sign him to a one-year deal to provide added depth off the edge.

Dupree also had eight quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss in 2023, so his all-around game has not dropped off like other veteran edge-rushers still on the free-agent market.

The Bears may be comfortable with Sweat and the other players already around him on the depth chart, but it never hurts to bring in additional help on the defensive interior.

The Bears are set at the top end of their wide receiver depth chart with D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.

However, they could use some help on the back end with a player who has a wildly different skill set than the other three pass-catchers.

Hunter Renfrow fits that mold and could be justified as a low-risk, high-reward cheap signing before training camp.

Renfrow's production fell off after his 1,000-yard campaign in 2021 due to coaching changes in Las Vegas and injuries.

Renfrow would only be needed for a few routes per game across the middle. If Tyler Scott or Velus Jones does not fit into a slot role, Renfrow could be worth the call to have on the roster for short-yardage situations.