By this time tomorrow, we should already know where many of the top free agents are heading. While the early negotiating period technically starts at 11:00 a.m. Central, tentative deals will be announced minutes after the window opens.
The two positions most frequently linked to the Chicago Bears have been center and defensive end, with Khalil Mack and Drew Dalman being the two most mentioned names.
In his latest article at Sports Illustrated, NFL Free-Agency Forecast: ‘It’s a Really Bad Group Overall’, Albert Breer writes that the Los Angeles Chargers would like to keep Mack, but the “Bears might look to bring him back.”
The free agency defensive end options have gone up today with the Detroit Lions releasing Za’Darius Smith and the Buffalo Bills releasing Von Miller. However, the trade market took a hit today with the Cleveland Browns and Myles Garrett agreeing to a deal.
Breer writes that Atlanta Falcons’ Drew Dalman is the top center on the market and that he could be “the last piece of Ryan Poles’ offensive line makeover in Chicago.”
FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz is also reporting that Dalman is a priority for the Bears.
Dalman should have plenty of suitors, so other center possibilities are the Indianapolis Colts‘ Ryan Kelly, the Arizona Cardinals’ Even Brown, who was in Detroit with Ben Johnson for three years, and the recently released Andre James, whom the Las Vegas Raiders let go in a cost-cutting move.
Also, this is probably just a coincidence, but Colts free agent guard Will Fries is in Elmhurst, Illinois, taking in some BBQ.