NFC contender swiped a free agent edge rusher off of the Bears’ short-list as Chicago continues evaluating in-house talent
The Philadelphia Eagles signed free agent pass rusher A.J. Epenesa on Wednesday, who previously worked out with the Chicago Bears earlier in the offseason crossing one name of the team’s short-list
The biggest complaint about the Chicago Bears’ offseason centered around the team’s lack of investments off the edge. The talk was so loud, the returning starters couldn’t help but hear it.
“You hear the chatter,” Bears top edge rusher Montez Sweat said Wednesday after minicamp practice. “It is what it is. Everybody has an opinion. We’ve just got to go out there and do what we’ve got to do.”
The Bears fully intend to work with the pieces they have, and rightfully so considering Chicago has one of the highest combined cap hits at the defensive end position in the league. The Bears first want to see what they really have in-house and if it’s sufficient enough before thinking about bringing in outside help.
At the same time, the Bears started putting together a short-list, as teams tend to do at every position. But, the staff claimed it’s hard to evaluate defensive linemen this time of year without pads on. While the Bears continue dragging their feet, one NFC contender just stole one of the options of Chicago’s short-list.
Philadelphia Eagles sign DE A.J. Epenesa, who recently worked out with the Chicago Bears
The Philadelphia Eagles announced the signing of free agent edge rusher A.J. Epenesa on Wednesday and released veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith off the team’s reserve/retired list. The Eagles were rumored to be big-game hunting off the edge and a team to watch for a top name.
Instead of making a big trade, the Eagles went with Epenesa, the former second-round pick of the Buffalo Bills with 24.0 career sacks under his belt.
Why does this matter to Chicago? Epenesa recently worked out with the Bears, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, and left the facility without a contract with the expectation that he could be on the team’s free agent short-list if they decided a signing was necessary later in the offseason.
“That’s evidence that the Bears aren’t sitting around simply wondering how the players on the roster will perform,” Biggs wrote. “I’d probably classify the visit by Epenesa somewhere between interest in adding to the position and performing due diligence on an emergency list.”
Chicago can now cross his name off the list and the potential options continue to dwindle. Other free agents potentially on Chicago’s radar include Cam Jordan, Von Miller, Jadeveon Clowney, Joey Bosa, and Leonard Floyd. Perhaps Smith could be added to that list to round out his trip in the NFC North, although his character has been an issue at previous stops and something the Bears might avoid.
Bears will continue evaluating the in-house talent well into training camp before considering a move
Chicago will hold one more minicamp session Thursday before taking a six-week break until training camp. That’s when the real evaluation period starts for this group.
Ben Johnson had no issue with what he saw from Sweat last season. In fact, he called it Sweat’s best season of his career.
“This was a guy that played at a very high level,” Johnson said. “I talked to him yesterday about, hey, I would argue it was the best year of his career. Whether that showed up statistically or not, that’s debatable, but his ability to play the run, play the pass, I thought he did a really nice job, and hopefully it’s something we can piggyback on and carry that momentum into this year.”
Sweat’s presence was felt during minicamp, but the real question is whether or not the Bears have a high-end player opposite him. Chicago got an encouraging sign when Dayo Odeyingbo returned to team drills this week, seven months after his second Achilles tear. The Bears are paying him a lot of money to be a top-end pass rusher.
Austin Booker is another player they want to see take the next step and so far he’s been making a strong impression after a solid second-half performance last year.
“He’s just scratching the surface,” Sweat said of Booker. “I think he’s shown a lot of flashes of the type of player that he could be. He’s still young and learning the ins and outs of being a pro. The sky is the limit for him.”
Time is ticking and external options are dwindling for the Bears. They better hope the approach they have at the position pays off because it’s an area that could easily derail the team’s hopes in 2026 if the pass rush continues to disappoint.