The Chicago Bears defense found it's stride over the second-half of the 2023 season and it seems like a big emphasis in Chicago entering free agency is to continue building that side of the ball.

The Bears already retained head coach Matt Eberflus and confirmed he will remain as the defensive play-caller next season while adding in defensive coordinator Eric Washington, who has a notable defensive line background.

Heading into the start of free agency next week, the Bears are expected to be heavy buyers once again on the open market and could take advantage of other team's cap concerns. Per Over The Cap, the Bears currently have roughly $56.5 million in available cap space after franchise tagging Jaylon Johnson and could use that money to pursue a top veteran defender who won't be able to return to his former team.

That player is former Miami Dolphins' defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

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Bears should be interested in signing Wilkins in free agency

After not receiving the franchise tag from the Dolphins, Wilkins will officially hit the free agent market and multiple teams should be expected to be interested in landing the 28-year-old defensive lineman. Wilkins is coming off a career-high 9.0 sack season where he also recorded 23 QB hits.

By having the sixth-most available cap space currently going into the start of free agency, the Bears will be able to set the bar high in the bidding process for the veteran defender. According to our own AtoZ Sports' cap experts, Wilkins is projected to land a mammoth 4-year, $92 million deal on the open market which could make the Bears shy away since the team is already paying over 18% of their cap space to the defensive line in 2024. Here's what our experts had to say about Wilkins' market.

"Although Aaron Donald has been a revelation on the defensive front and stands alone as a market outlier, the league has noticed the importance of a dominant inside presence and has paid accordingly. Just last offseason, four defensive anchors signed extensions with their teams, establishing a clear market of $22,500,000-$24,000,000 for a second-contract stud defensive tackle."

"Wilkins is slightly older than his counterparts that signed deals last offseason, as Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons, Daron Payne, and Dexter Lawrence all signed extensions at age 26. At 28-years-old, Wilkins finds himself placed between these younger players and Javon Hargrave, who signed a four year, $81,000,000 deal with the 49ers at age 30." – Josh Queipo and Kyle DeDiminicantanio

While Wilkins' projected deal seems like it'll be a high price to pay for a player who's already 28-years-old, the Javon Hargrave example with the San Francisco 49ers would be a good model to follow for the Bears. The 49ers already allocated a lot of funds to the their defensive line and still managed to make Nick Bosa one of the highest-paid players in league history after signing Hargrave, who went on to have 7.0 sacks during his first year playing in Santa Clara.

The Bears could look to follow a similar approach and maximize the window of being able to load up on star defensive talent while potentially resetting their quarterback window with a rookie likely to come in. Not only do the Bears have the cap to make it work, Wilkins would also be a tremendous fit on the Bears' defense.

How would he fit into Matt Eberflus' defense?

The Bears' defense is expected to once again have a strong four man front on the defensive line with an opportunistic and high-flying zone pass defense behind it. That was even confirmed to be the case by the team's new defensive coordinator.

"We'd like to be, we're going to be, a team that generates pressure with our front four," Washington said. "We're going to build the best pass rush in football."

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Wilkins would slide in perfectly to the Bears' defensive line as a three technique playing the position filled by Justin Jones in 2023. Jones also rotated out of the front with 2023 rookie Gervon Dexter, who would have the same role behind Wilkins.

In Miami, Wilkins played 81 percent of the defensive snaps counts during the 2023 and in Chicago would likely see a dip in that share based on their tendencies to rotate out the interior of the defensive line.

Wilkins will be the ideal three technique Eberflus' has been searching for years to add to his defense. Giving Eberflus and Washington the opportunity to have Wilkins, Montez Sweat, Dexter, Zacch Pickens, Andrew Billings, and an addition edge rusher in the four man rotation would give Chicago one of the strongest and most well rounded fronts in the entire league.

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Final Word

This fit just makes too much sense schematically for what Eberflus and Washington are looking to do with the Bears' defensive line but will come with a hefty price tag. Personally, I believe the Bears should swing big this offseason for some sort of defensive lineman and I think Eberflus will be in general manager Ryan Poles' ear constantly over the next few days to make this dream a reality.

It's a rare opportunity to be able to make a swing for a top veteran defensive lineman like Wilkins and the Bears shouldn’t overlook the value he could bring on defense.

Bears’ top pass rush targets in the 2024 NFL Draft are already eager about potentially playing alongside Montez Sweat

Will the Bears look to draft one of these top prospects?