It's hard to find good pass rushers in the NFL. Teams invest high draft picks on could-be prospects and overspend in free agency on players who, if they really were elite at their craft, would probably never see the open market.
The Bears have to find a capable pass-rushing complement to Khalil Mack this offseason. That could force them to overpay in free agency, since they don't have a first-round pick to roll the dice on another Leonard Floyd-type, who's failed miserably at becoming a sack artist through his first four seasons in the NFL.
One player who's experienced some pass-rushing success is outside linebacker Vic Beasley, whom the Atlanta Falcons confirmed Monday will not be re-signed by the team. He's certain to draw interest on the open market because, again, teams are always desperate for edge rushers with a pulse. The Bears should be one of the clubs at least considering him as an option.
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"As we continue to craft our 2020 roster, we'd like to thank Vic for five years of effort on behalf of our organization," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement Monday.
Beasley is a hard-to-figure-out player. He was a one-trick speed-rusher at Clemson who exploded for 15.5 sacks in his second season as a pro (2016) and finished with his second-best sack total last year with eight. However, he's managed five sacks or fewer in his other three years, which creates doubt about who he really is as an edge rusher.
Is Beasley simply more of what the Bears already have but with one good year on his resume? Maybe, but Floyd has never flashed the ability to reach double-digit sack totals in any year of his career. Beasley, at least, has.
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With how up-and-down his career has been, it's more than likely Beasley will be forced to accept a one-year prove-it deal, with the hope of regaining his 2016 form. If he 'proves it' in 2020, he'll cash in as one of the highest-paid free agents in 2021.
The Bears would be wise to roll the dice and bet on a one-year contract. Beasley playing with the motivation that comes along with a contract year could translate into the ideal 8-10 sack guy opposite Mack in what will be a critical year in Chicago's Super Bowl window.
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