NFL free agency: Predicting the best free agent all 32 teams will sign in 2023
By Ryan Heckman
Predicting the best free agent the Chicago Bears will sign: Orlando Brown, OT
To say the offseason goes through Chicago might sound funny, but the Bears now own the first overall pick in the draft, plus have almost twice as much cap space as the next-closest team this spring, with $119 million to spend.
The Bears are undoubtedly going to use much of that draft capital and cap space to bolster the offensive line in front of Justin Fields, who was brutalized week in and week out this season. Fields flashed quite a bit in his sophomore season, but he ran more often than not because he was always running for his life, more so than just to run.
The Bears need a top dog at receiver, but they need to protect their quarterback first and foremost. That’s why Chicago is going to go hard after Orlando Brown Jr., whom the Chiefs traded a haul to acquire from Baltimore in 2021.
Now, a team like the Bears can pay Brown essentially whatever he wants and top a deal from Kansas City. Getting their franchise left tackle locked down would be monumental for this team and for the future of Fields’ development.