The Chicago Bears are halfway through the 2023 season and will have yet another primetime game later today against the Carolina Panthers.

Throughout the first nine games, the Bears have had multiple different players shine at different points of the season. However, the team has continued to struggle and find consistency as a collective unit leading to a 2-7 record

With the second-half of the season kicking off later tonight, now is the perfect opportunity to step back and break down some of Ryan Poles' best and worst free agent additions made to the roster in 2023.

Disclaimer: The Bears best addition in 2023 wasn't a free agent signing

When you talk about the new members of the 2023 Bears roster, wide receiver DJ Moore's name has to be mentioned, even if he wasn't a free agent signing. The Bears acquired Moore back in March when they traded away the #1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers.

Since then, Moore has totaled 47 receptions, 735 yards, and five touchdowns in his first nine games with the Bears. Moore has drastically improved the Bears passing offense, especially at the beginning of the year, despite having a drop in play since quarterback Justin Fields got injured.

Moore has still breathed new life into the Bears fanbase while giving them something to have hope in as they look toward the future with the team.

With Moore getting his deserved flowers, now let's talk about the actual free-agents.

Best Free Agent Signing: LB T.J. Edwards

When choosing who has been the Bears best free-agent acquisition, it was honestly a tough call. While I'm choosing linebacker T.J. Edwards, there are a handful of others who easily could have gotten the nod. Free agent signees such as linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, defensive tackle Andrew Billings, and running back D'Onta Foreman have all played exceptionally well in 2023.

However, Edwards has the advantage over each one of those players. Edwards has started all nine games in 2023 (something Foreman and Edmunds haven't done, Edmunds due to injury) and he has been the Bears most productive defensive player on the stat sheet (an area where Billings has struggled).

Edwards currently leads the Bears with 100 tackles, with Edmunds being the next closest player with 63 tackles despite missing last week's game. Edwards is also tied with defensive end Yannick Ngakoue with a team-high 2.0 sacks and is tied for second on the team with 5 QB hits in 2023.

While constantly getting after the football and pressuring opposing quarterbacks, Edwards also has a 66.3 coverage grade (the 4th-highest among the defensive starters on the team), according to Pro Football Focus. Edwards has been a star for Chicago's defense and has proved to be worth his 3 year, $19.5 million investment.

Worst Free Agent Signing: TE Robert Tonyan

This decision wasn't a difficult one to make. Bears tight end Robert Tonyan has been one of the Bears least productive players on offense yet continues to get a solid percentage of the team's offensive snaps.

Tonyan has been the fourth-lowest graded (46.5) offensive player on the Bears roster and the worst graded run blocker (33.6) on the team, according to Pro Football Focus. Despite his low grades, the Bears free agent signee is still playing over 20% of the team's offensive snaps each week.

Tonyan has just seven receptions on ten targets for 58 yards in 2023. With tight end Cole Kmet continuing to stack big games and fellow free agent acquisition Marcedes Lewis filling his role as an exceptional run blocker, one would wonder why Tonyan even sees the field at all. 

Luckily for the Bears, Tonyan signed a lowly 2 year, $1.3 million contract with the team and isn't as big of a liability on the cap as he is on the field. Unfortunately, we'll continue to see offensive coordinator Luke Getsy keep putting his pal on the field while despite continuing to be a non-factor. 

Bears mid-season MVP for offense, defense, and special teams

Time to give out the awards