Commentary: Why the Bears should not re-sign Darrell Taylor |
Hoping to add a little depth to their defensive line unit, the Chicago Bears traded for defensive end Darrell Taylor in August, who also played as a linebacker during his three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately, it does not seem like Chicago came out on the winning end of this trade.
Trading for Taylor was an experiment. He put up some good numbers with the Seahawks, including registering at least 5.5 sacks each season. In 2022, Taylor had his best season with four forced fumbles, third in the NFL that year, and 9.5 sacks. This is the kind of productivity Chicago was hoping to get out of Taylor after giving up a sixth-round pick to get him. Taylor had a career-low three sacks in his first season with the Bears. Two of those came in the same game, in the season opener against the Tennessee Titans. He also recorded two forced fumbles this season, one coming against Tennessee and the other his former team in Chicago’s 6-3 loss to the Seahawks in their home finale. A fourth of his tackles in the entire season also came against the Titans. Thus, except for his game against the Titans, Taylor was unproductive the entire season despite playing 16 games this year. He is a depth piece, so one would not expect him to have higher numbers. However, with a team that only recorded 40 sacks and no one getting over six sacks this year, the Bears need to upgrade wherever possible, including with their depth pieces. Taylor is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA). Given his lack of productivity on the field this year, Taylor should not return to Chicago next season. However, there are options for an upgrade to free agency and the NFL Draft. Furthermore, acquiring a player late in the draft would be inexpensive for the Bears, who have the draft capital to make that happen. Looking at free agency, there are numerous players around Taylor’s age that Chicago could bring in. Josh Sweat with the Philadelphia Eagles, Chase Young, who is currently with the New Orleans Saints, and Charles Omenihu with the Kansas City Chiefs are all set to become UFAs in March. Sweat and Young both had more sacks than Taylor this season. Omenihu was injured most of the year, but during his last healthy season in 2023, he recorded seven sacks and two forced fumbles. He has also recorded double-digit QB hits in three different seasons. This year has a strong class of defensive ends that can cause chaos for an opposing offense. While the Bears should go with an offensive lineman with their first-round selection, they could use their No. 40 or No. 42 overall selection on a defensive end. Abdul Carter from Penn State, the top defensive end in the draft, will undoubtedly be gone by this time. However, Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer, who had the game-sealing scoop-and-score against Texas in the Semifinals for the Buckeyes, may still be available. That kind of talent would be much better in the locker room versus someone like Taylor, who appears to have hit his ceiling. Whether the Bears go after Taylor’s replacement through free agency or the draft, they need players who can get in the backfield and generate pressure on the quarterback. While the offense has a lot of issues to address, a strong defense has always been key to Chicago’s success. No matter who the next head coach is, that tradition must continue.
