3 free agents the Bears could steal from their NFC North rivals this offseason

The Chicago Bears have interviewed or plan to interview enough head coaching candidates that they could lay them all end-to-end from one side of Lake Michigan to the other and still have enough left over to walk across.

Given that, it would be easy to assume that general manager Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren are singularly focused on the task of replacing Matt Eberflus, but Bears fans better hope not, because there is much more to do this offseason.

In addition to finding a new head coach, the Bears are going to need to find some players to help them improve upon their catastrophic 5-12 record. Luckily, they have the cap space to do it, as they currently rank sixth in the NFL with just over $74 million to spend.

It goes without saying that the Bears should only sign players that they believe can help them improve as a football team, but if in doing so they also manage to hurt one of their NFC North rivals? That's what we call a win-win, baby. Let's look at three NFC North free agents that the Bears could poach this year to pull off the double whammy.

1. Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler

Priority one, two and three on this roster is to improve the offensive line by any means necessary. That means that Poles will almost certainly look to use one or more draft picks to find contributors in the trenches, but he should also be looking to free agency, as well.

Kevin Zeitler followed up his first-ever Pro Bowl season with the Baltimore Ravens last year by arguably being even better with the Detroit Lions this year. Zeitler is exactly what the interior of the Bears line needs. He's an absolute beast as a run blocker, meaning he can pave the way for D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson just as he did for Jahmyr Gibbs and Davis Montgomery. He's the definition of solid in pass protection, which is something the Bears really could have used this year as Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times, tied for the third-most in a single season in NFL history.

Zeitler is also extremely durable, having appeared in at least 15 games for 10 straight years. The Bears offensive line spent as much time in the medical tent as on the field this year and would love the stability that Zeitler could provide.

Zeitler might even be more inclined to come to Chicago if the Bears land his current offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson. As if the Bears needed another reason to throw the bag at this Johnson, this would be the cherry on top.

2. Minnesota Vikings left tackle Cam Robinson

Let's stay on the offensive line for our next choice, but move from guard to tackle. Cam Robinson spent the first 7+ years of his career in Jacksonville, but he came to the Minnesota Vikings by way of trade so that the Jags could make room for Walker Little.

Robinson had one of the worst games of his career in Minnesota's Wild Card Round loss to the Rams, which could severely depress his market this spring. Though it's true that L.A.'s Jared Verse and Kobie Turner ate his lunch as they pressured Sam Darnold relentlessly, everyone is entitled to a bad day at the office. Robinson is a solid tackle, and he's still only 29 years old.

Darnell Wright is entrenched as Chicago's starting right tackle, and the expectation is that starting left tackle Braxton Jones will be fully recovered from a season-ending fractured fibula before training camp begins. It still makes sense to bring in someone like Robinson as added depth though, as Jones dealt with a range of maladies all year that also included a concussion and a knee sprain that kept him out for two weeks. Fifth-round rookie Kiran Amegadjie showed in his brief glimpse of playing time that he's not close to being ready, so at the very least, Robinson can hold down the fort for a year.

Robinson was acquired by the Vikings to replace Christian Darrisaw, who tore his knee but is expected back next season. That fact, combined with his poor playoff performance, should mean that he'll be available.

3. Green Bay Packers wide receiver Bo Melton

There aren't very many marquee free agents from NFC North teams, so this is a much more speculative pick. The Green Bay Packers have had a glut of young wide receivers for the past couple years, and Bo Melton could be an overlooked gem that may be available on the cheap.

The Bears are looking good at receiver with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze already under contract, and they'll have a decision to make on whether or not to bring back Keenan Allen. Either way, Melton could be an intriguing fourth receiver due to his breakaway speed.

Under Shane Waldron and Thomas Brown, the Bears hardly stretched the field this past year, opting instead to run an inordinate number of screens and quick throws. Hopefully the new regime places an emphasis on downfield passing, which is an area in which Caleb Williams shined during his time at USC.

Tyler Scott was drafted in 2023 to be a field-stretching deep threat, but he's hardly gotten the chance to get on the field in his two years in Chicago. Melton ran a 4.34 at the combine in 2022, and though he's caught only 24 balls in his career, that could easily be attributed to how full Green Bay's receivers room has been.

Not every free agent signing needs to be a swing for the fences. Melton, combined with someone new calling the plays, could be just what Williams needs to unlock his best self.