4 potential free agent defensive ends for Chicago Bears

The Bears are two weeks away from training camp. Rookies report to camp next week. Veterans will join them July 19. The team will hold its first official practice July 20.

The much-anticipated 2024 NFL season is almost here.

The team’s roster is pretty much set. That being said, general manager Ryan Poles likes to point out that the work is never done. The Bears drafted Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, and they traded for Keenan Allen and signed D’Andre Swift, but an NFL team is never a finished product.

The arrival of training camp tends to be another unofficial deadline. While the biggest names in free agency signed in March, veterans are always available in late July who still have something to contribute.

One position where the Bears might still be looking to add experience is at defensive end. The Bears have Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker slotted into starting spots on the edge. Dominique Robinson, Khalid Kareem, Jacob Martin and Austin Booker are likely to compete for backup spots. While Sweat is a Pro Bowler at the top of that list, the depth leaves something to be desired.

A year ago, the Bears signed defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to a one-year contract in early August. They could be looking to make a similar late addition this year. If the Bears do make an addition, it probably will be a relatively cost-effective contract, much like last year.

Here are four potential edge rushers they could consider, starting with the aforementioned Ngakoue.

Yannick Ngakoue

Ngakoue remains a free agent after his one-year deal with the Bears expired. The 29-year-old has eight years of NFL experience. Last season was the first time he failed to record at least eight sacks in a season. Ngakoue had four sacks on the season but also missed the final four games with a broken ankle. The ankle injury required surgery, but Ngakoue appears to be healthy now, at least according to videos posted to his social media pages.

Emmanuel Ogbah

Eight-year NFL veteran Emmanuel Ogbah remains a free agent after the Miami Dolphins released him in February. Ogbah has 42.5 career sacks over eight seasons. He had 5.5 sacks in 15 games with Miami last season. He missed half of the previous season because of a triceps injury.

Before free agency, the Dolphins cut him as a cost-saving measure. Doing so saved them more than $13 million against the salary cap. He’s 30 years old and healthy.

Jerry Hughes

Jerry Hughes has been around the block. The 35-year-old will be 36 by the time Week 1 rolls around. He was a first-round draft pick back in 2010 and has 70 career sacks in 218 regular-season games.

More importantly, however, he worked with new Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington when both were in Buffalo. Hughes played for the Bills from 2013-21. He spent the past two seasons in Houston. Last year he took on more of a reserve role with the Texans, appearing in 17 games but starting only two. He had three sacks in 2023.

Shaq Lawson

Shaq Lawson is another Buffalo connection who worked with Washington. Lawson, 30, spent the past two seasons in Buffalo and previously played there from 2016-19. A former first-round draft pick of the Bills, Lawson has never quite lived up to the first-round billing, but he has 26 career sacks in 109 games and could be an above-average rotational piece coming off the bench. He appeared in 16 games with Buffalo last season but started only one. It resulted in only one sack, which is less than inspiring.