The Bears Fell Short On Maxx Crosby – And Where They Likely Pivot Next
Maxx Crosby felt like a possibility for weeks after listening to countless rumors. The Chicago Bears needed a pass rusher. He liked the idea of joining a team with a proven head coach that had just made the playoffs. However, things didn’t quite cross the finish line. News dropped on Friday night that the Baltimore Ravens sent two 1st round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for the rights to the star pass rusher. He joins a talented defense on a team reloading around its former MVP quarterback. Crosby gets his wish of joining a contender, while the Raiders get ammunition to rebuild.
So where does this leave the Bears? General manager Ryan Poles has stated on multiple occasions that you have to be careful about such blockbuster moves because they have a tendency to limit your contending window and ability to retool the roster. Two 1st round picks was never a line he was going to cross. He’d never seen it happen during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he’d never traded a 1st-round pick for a player in Chicago, much less two. It isn’t a surprise the Bears bowed out.
So what now?
The Bears can still take a big swing even with Maxx Crosby gone.
A few big names are on the table. The obvious one is Trey Hendrickson. He played for Dennis Allen in New Orleans and was dominant in 2023 and 2024 for the Cincinnati Bengals. Though he’s now in his early 30s, it’s not crazy to think he has two or three good years left. If he can stay healthy, it makes plenty of sense. The problem is that it could cost north of $25 million per year to make happen. That would chew up most of their available cap space.
On the other hand, if they wish to go a little cheaper and younger, Odafe Oweh is a name to watch. He’s 6’5″ and 250 lbs with 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons in Baltimore and Los Angeles. There is also Jaelan Phillips, fresh off 73 total pressures last year in Miami and Philadelphia. He’s 26 years old and valued at around $17 million per year. Any one of those free agents would certainly give the Bears’ pass rush a much-needed boost and be cheaper than Crosby.
| Player | Team(s) | Games | Sacks | Pressures | Pass Rush Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey Hendrickson | Bengals | 7 | 4.0 | 23 | 11% |
| Odafe Oweh | Ravens / Chargers | 17 | 7.5 | 47 | 16.4% |
| Jaelan Phillips | Dolphins / Eagles | 17 | 5.0 | 73 | 18.8% |
Or they will dig through the bargain market and focus on the draft.
While making a splash was something Bears fans hoped for with Maxx Crosby, sometimes the team must be judicious with its resources. That is especially true when you have lots of holes to fill. Often, these teams take an affordable veteran who might still have some gas left in the tank and pair them with a high draft choice. The Bears tried doing this in 2023, signing guard Nate Davis and then right tackle Darnell Wright. Then they did it again a year later, trading for Keenan Allen and drafting Rome Odunze.
Such an approach this year would involve older veterans like Cameron Jordan, Joey Bosa, and Khalil Mack. None of them are in their primes anymore, but each still has some juice to help the pass rush. Signing one of them to a one-year deal would be a good first step. Then the Bears could go after one of the many talented edge rushers in this draft class.
- Akheem Mesidor (Miami): 35.0 career sacks
- David Bailey (Texas Tech): 29.5 career sacks
- Cashius Howell (Texas A&M): 23.0 career sacks
- T.J. Parker (Clemson): 21.5 career sacks
- Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami): 20.5 career sacks
- R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma): 17.0 career sacks
- Zion Young (Missouri): 11.5 career sacks
- Keldric Faulk (Auburn): 10.0 career sacks
- Arvell Reese (Ohio State): 7.0 career sacks
It may not be the splashy approach fans want, but this would improve both the talent and depth of the defensive line, which was a constant problem last season.