The Chicago Bears have made significant changes to their roster this off-season, but there’s a lingering concern at the defensive tackle position. While Gervon Dexter shows promise, he still needs time to develop. Therefore, signing a player who can provide immediate impact and add to the team’s depth and talent level would be ideal. It could wrap up what might be one of the franchise’s most successful off-seasons in recent memory. Gordon McGuiness of Pro Football Focus has proposed Calais Campbell as a potential solution for the Bears in this regard.
“Campbell could be a good role player for the Bears, too, given his versatility.. He has the experience on the edge and the interior and is still good enough as a run defender and a pass rusher to make an impact. In his 16th NFL season last year, he still managed to rack up 42 total pressures from 413 pass-rushing snaps.”
Those 42 total pressures by Campbell would have lead the Bears DT room in 2023. Bears rookie Gervon Dexter had 29 total pressures. Andrew Billings added 23. Justin Jones, who led the Bears with 36 pressures, is no longer on the team; he signed a three-year, $30.1 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals, receiving $19.75 million guaranteed. With Jones gone, the Bears have a gap to fill. Adding Campbell could help mitigate Jones’ absence and give the Bears young players another year to develop while allowing the team to assess their options moving forward. With roughly $20 million in cap space remaining, signing Campbell is still a possibility, as long as the price is fair to both Campbell and the Bears front office.
