The Chicago Bears are heading into the spring offseason with needs on defense and at other positions and names like Jared Allen, BJ Raji, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Charles Tillman, Brandon Spikes, Steve Smith and James Jones could be in the mix after they signed Lamarr Houston and released Julius Peppers last week and it comes after they may lose Henry Melton to the Seattle Seahawks.
Free agency is moving along very quickly and there still are some solid names on the market, including Allen and Raji, who could help upgrade the Bears defense after a rough season in 2013. The team was looking to sign Michael Bennett, but the Seahawks were able to retain him and while they brought in Lamarr Houston from the Oakland Raiders, they still could continue to beef up the line with Raji and Allen, as they could use a replacement for Melton.
Last season Melton was injured and was not a factor for the Bears, but he is a run stuffer and that is one area where the team needs to rebound. The team also had issues at linebacker and cornerback and names like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Brandon Spikes and Antonio Cromartie could be options if Charles Tillman signs with another team. Houston was a big snag for the Bears after they released Julius Peppers, as he is a strong and quick lineman and a solid pass rusher and he is coming off of a very good year with 71 tackles and two forced fumbles and now he is in on a five year deal.
Peppers was let go because of his near $20 million cap number and now the Bears are stronger on the front line and they could continue to build that up as the offseason goes along. Peppers had just 7.5 sacks last season and that was his worst total since signing with the Bears and now he will be moving on and Allen could come in for him, as he has had 11 sacks or more in each of his seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and while he is getting up there in age, that means he could sign for less money than expected.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Seahawks could be in on Allen as well and while they haven't come close to anything, adding him to a front line that includes Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett would be huge and that is one reason why the Seahawks won the Super Bowl last season. Melton is meeting with the Seahawks and he could be a big addition to the defensive line as well and he basically missed last season after tearing his ACL and he has also met with the Dallas Cowboys. Melton was a former Pro Bowl player and he should be able to get a solid deal with one of these teams as a free agent.
Last season the Bears ranked last in the league in rushing yards allowed and adding Raji could help that, while the passing defense was 15th in the league with 233 yards allowed per game and that could spark a cornerback signing and retaining Tillman.
