In his second offseason with the Chicago Bears, general manager Ryan Poles has plenty of salary-cap space to rework a roster that finished 3-14 in 2022.
As the NFL’s new league year approaches, allowing free agents to begin signing with new teams, the Tribune will track all of the Bears’ arrivals and departures and provide insight into what they mean.
The free-agency negotiation window opened across the league at 11 a.m. Monday. Unrestricted free agents can finalize deals when the new league year begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
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Monday
The Bears are signing former Tennessee Titans defensive end DeMarcus Walker, a league source confirmed.
What it means: Walker, 28, is a six-year NFL veteran coming off a career season with the Titans in which he had seven sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for a loss in 17 games. He was a second-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2017 and played in 36 games for them with five starts, notching 10½ sacks over four seasons. He had two sacks in 13 games with the Houston Texans in 2021.
Walker’s deal is for three years and $21 million with $16 million guaranteed, a league source said.
The Bears were in desperate need of help at defensive end after totaling just 20 sacks in 2022. Poles traded Khalil Mack last offseason and Robert Quinn at midseason and released Al-Quadin Muhammad last month, leaving limited options at the position. Walker joins a group that includes Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson.
Inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is joining the Bears on a four-year, $72 million deal, a source confirmed.
What it means: The Bears secured another playmaker for a defense in need of them and have guaranteed Edmunds $50 million on a four-year contract agreement. The signing is notable after the organization hit an impasse last fall in its negotiations with linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith was …read more
Source:: The Mercury News