This season ended in heartbreak for the Chicago Bears, but there are plenty of positives to take away from the team's NFC Divisional round playoff run.
Caleb Williams looks like a superhero, but there are plenty of quality players on both sides of the ball. The Bears do have some work to do this offseason. Bringing back some of the secondary is a big priority, but there's another part of the defense in greater need.
As ESPN's Courtney Cronin urges, the Bears need to fix their pass rusher unit. After a lackluster year, the Bears need to not just add another pass rusher, but take a big swing on a top name this offseason.
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"What is their top offseason priority? Rebuild the pass rush," Cronin writes. "The Bears' inability to pressure opposing quarterbacks was a glaring weakness all season.... The No. 1 focus must be a big swing on an edge rusher in free agency or the draft."
Taking a first-round pass rusher would make a lot of sense for the Bears, especially considering how weak the unit was this season.
Dayo Odeyingbo didn't play much thanks to a season-ending injury, but when he did play, he wasn't very good. Grady Jarrett isn't the player he once was, either, and while Montez Sweat is a good player, the Bears need another pass rusher.
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While the draft might not be the best place to land an instant-impact pass rusher, there is one name likely to be a free agent who would make a lot of sense for the Bears.
Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson is going to be a free agent, and while he played in just seven games this season due to injury, if he can get back to his 2023 and 2024 production, with 17.5 sacks each season, he would be a no-brainer for the Bengals.
Adding a player like Hendrickson would be ideal for the Bears, and even if it's not him, they must add a top-tier pass rusher this offseason.
The defense is sorely lacking such a star pass rusher, and while the lack of such a player wasn't the sole reason for their loss to the Rams, more pressure on Matthew Stafford might've led to a win over the Rams.
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