Bear Digest

One Available Edge Rush Option Rates Unlikely Bears Answer

The top defensive player in the UFL is not quite a Bears fit even though they need edge rush help, and here's why.

Gene Chamberlain

Breeland Speaks of Michigan (right) tries to get free from a block against Birmingham in the UFL semifinals.
Breeland Speaks of Michigan (right) tries to get free from a block against Birmingham in the UFL semifinals. / David Rodriguez Munoz / USA TODAY
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The Bears have been looking at the same list of edge rushers available in free agency for so long now their eyes might hurt.

Their position with the biggest question mark remains this spot even after offseason work ended for the full squad last week. Rookies are getting together for a few sessions this week.

Of course the Bears liked what they saw of rookie fifth-rounder Austin Booker, but in unpadded work there is little actually resembling football and Booker didn't even finish minicamp on the field as he had an unspecified injury.

Montez Sweat did point out one development on the defensive line he felt was noteworthy. He referred to an veteran free agent signee Jake Martin as an experienced guy "...that's really making some noise out there."

Depending on "noise" or the promise of a rookie normally is the kind of thing that gets teams losing records and coachecs fired.

The Bears need to find extra pass rush help and there is one other avenue and player who is now available.

It's UFL sacks leader Breeland Speaks. The 28-year-old defensive end led the USFL last year in sacks with nine for Michigan. When the USFL and XFL merged into the UFL, Speaks went about leading this league in sacks with 9 1/2 and was named UFL defensive player of the year. His Michigan team was bumped out of the playoffs over the weekend.

The 6-foot-3, 285-pound end with SEC experience at Mississippi probably fits the Bears scheme better than he would some others because of his size. They tend to like a more stout edge player, although 285 is pushing it.

There are other reasons to think the Bears would probably not be interested.

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1. Haven't Signed Him in the Past

Speaks has been available in the past and the Bears needed edge rush help but they didn't sign him. So why would they have interest now?

2. The Ryan Poles Connection

If anyone knows why Speaks isn't with an NFL team at the age of 28, it's Bears GM Ryan Poles. After all, Poles was with the Chiefs in personnel when they drafted Speaks in the second round at No. 46 overall in 2018. Speaks played one year, started four games and got into all 16 and made 1 1/2 sacks. He was out of the league after that season. He didn't make the Chiefs the next year but there is no shame in that as KC won the Super Bowl after the 2019 season. Speaks was more of a tackle with the Chiefs at 285. A knee injury after his rookie year led to Speaks' immediate downfall.

3. Past NFL Failure

It wasn't just the Chiefs, but numerous NFL teams who have been unable to find a way to keep Speaks on the roster.

The 49ers waived him last August. The Giants had him in 2021 in the offseason and waived him. Dallas had him on the practice squad during the pandemic in 2020. The Raiders had him on the practice squad in 2020 before releasing him and the Cowboys signed him for their practice squad

4. Bad Football

Just because the USFL and XFL merged into the UFL doesn't mean they're a viable stronger league with numerous players worthy of NFL inclusion.

What they are is a minor league with players not good enough to be in the NFL.

Last year there were 102 players total signed from both of those leagues but the only ones to make a 53-man NFL roster were Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, Packers punter Daniel Whelan and Panthers nose tackle LaBryan Ray. Carolina started Ray one game but he did make 19 total tackles as a backup. Whelan averaged 46.2 yards per punt in the NFL and Aubrey was a great success with 36 of 38 field goals for the Cowboys, although he managed to miss three extra points and had two field goal misses from inside 39 yards. He did go 10 of 10 from 50 yards and longer.

Still, three out of 102 sticking isn't exactly a good percentage and two of those were not position players but specialty players.

5. Better Quality Remaining

The list of edge rushers who actually have played in and produced during NFL careers is far more attractive than signing a player who has had numerous chances in the league without making it.

Former Bears defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue (69 sacks) and Rasheem Green (19 sacks) are still free agents. Emmanuel Ogbah (42 1/2 sacks), Calais Campbell (105 1/2 sacks), Carl Lawson (27 sacks), Shaq Lawson (26 sacks) and Marquis Haynes (14 sacks) all have had roles of varying importance on NFL defense and would be better acquisitions.

Ngakoue continues posting video of himself doing workouts to keep everyone aware of his condition after he had a broken ankle in Week 13 for the Bears last year. He's been posting these throughout his rehab.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.