Bears are interested in pursuing a starting safety in free agency at the perfect time
The Chicago Bears are all but confirmed to be in the market for a new starting safety this offseason after moving on from veteran Eddie Jackson a few weeks back and the team's interest in the position couldn’t have come at a better time. The free agent market at the safety position is perhaps the […]
The Chicago Bears are all but confirmed to be in the market for a new starting safety this offseason after moving on from veteran Eddie Jackson a few weeks back and the team's interest in the position couldn’t have come at a better time.
The free agent market at the safety position is perhaps the most loaded it's ever been in terms of the overall talent and surprisingly youth on the open market.
NFL free agency period begins March 13 with the legal tampering period beginning earlier meaning teams can start negotiating with players and agreeing to terms on new deals starting on March 11. With a sub-par safety class in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears will likely be finding their new starting safety next week but who will they sign?
Free Agent Safety Market
The free agent market at the safety position is absolutely stacked after the release of multiple former Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro selections over the course of the past week. Despite the NFL Salary Cap reaching an all-time high, many teams still moved on from their top safeties to help clear cap space to address other positions.
This massive wave and trend plays perfectly into the Bears' favor who can now look to add one of these top defensive backs on the free agent market. Here's a list of the notable safeties who were released over the past few weeks:
– Justin Simmons
– Quandre Diggs
– Jordan Poyer
– Jamal Adams
– Rayshawn Jenkins
– Kevin Byard
– John Johnson III
– Tracy Walker
– Adrian Phillips
– Keanu Neal
– Siran Neal
Again to remind you, those are only the safeties who were released from their current contracts. Here are the additional notable safeties on the market who were actual free agents who's contracts have fully expired starting this coming week:
– Budda Baker (Club Option)
– Micah Hyde
– C.J. Gardner Johnson
– Xavier McKinney
– Jordan Whitehead
– Geno Stone
– Darnell Savage
– Tashaun Gibson
– Jeremy Chinn
– Alohi Gilman
– Jordan Fuller
The Bears will more than likely come away with one of these safeties by the end of next week to fill the void in the secondary and head coach Matt Eberflus revealed what he's looking for in his next safety while at the NFL Combine.
"The guy that we're looking for, has got to have athletic ability," Eberflus said. "He's got to have range, he's got to have great communication skills. He's got to have ball skills, we want all of our guys to have the ability to take the ball away. He has to have that too and then eventually grow into a leader."
The Bears have already begun the process of looking into the safety market after bringing in former All-Pro Kevin Byard in for a visit on Friday. Byard was recently released by the Philadelphia Eagles and would be an older option to consider since he will be turning 31-years-old by the time the 2024 regular season begins.
In their search to replace Jackson in the secondary, the Bears should ideally be looking for a young, athletic roaming safety who will fit in nicely with the rest of the current starters in place in the secondary. With that in mind, one free agent in particular continues to be a perfect fit for Chicago.
Bears Should Sign Xavier McKinney In Free Agency
The ideal player the Bears should be looking into at the safety position in terms of age and overall athleticism is former New York Giants' second round pick Xavier McKinney. At 24-years-old, McKinney is entering the open market at the perfect time to land a massive contract and will have plenty of suitors.
McKinney started all 17 games for the Giants in 2023, recording three interceptions and a career-high 116 tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, McKinney was the highest coverage graded safety in 2023 with a 91.2 coverage grade. After his career season, McKinney believes he's just getting started.
"I think even if you look at my career now, just with some injuries that I've had, I really haven't even played a full four seasons," McKinney said earlier this week on the Up & Adams show. "I've only really played two seasons. One of those two seasons, the first three of four games I was splitting reps… There's still so much more that I have and I haven't even scratched of who I am as a player and I think I've continued to grow and get better. It's going to keep getting better from here and the sky is the limit."
The decision whether or not to pursue McKinney ultimately comes down to what the Bears and the defensive coaching staff really want at the position. Do they want to get another experienced veteran to help mold the rest of the young secondary or do they want a younger, more athletic safety to better pair with the pieces the defense already has in place?
All of these safeties will have a solid market and the majority of them likely won't receive a massive deal by any means, therefore any option the Bears pursue will suffice. However, McKinney is by far the most attractive free agent at the position.
Matt Eberflus reveals what he’s looking for in Eddie Jackson’s replacement at safety
He knows what he wants.
