4 teams that need to go all-out for Christian Wilkins with Chris Jones off market

3. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are the most intriguing team in the NFL this offseason. That's mostly because everyone is waiting to see what they do at quarterback, whether it's keeping Justin Fields or using the No. 1 overall pick on USC's Caleb Williams. Whatever they decide to do, they will have a ton of cap space to work with.

Before this past season's trade deadline, the Bears' defense was struggling, as they didn't have a player who could effectively get to and put pressure on the quarterback. That all changed when they acquired defensive end Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders and immediately signed him to a four-year, $98 million contract. The defense drastically improved as a result.

Even with the addition of Sweat, the Bears still have some work to do on the defense. In 2023, the Bears defense allowed 324.2 yards of offense (12th-fewest in NFL) and 22.3 points per game (13th-most in NFL).

The Bears happen to have an opening at the starting defensive tackle spot. Justin Jones is an unrestricted free agent. With $63.6 million in cap space as of this writing, the Bears are easily in a position to make a run at Wilkins to further improve the defense and be able to contend in the NFC North.