3 Bears free agents who could follow Khalil Mack to LA Chargers

1. Akiem Hicks

Akiem Hicks has been a potential target for the LA Chargers long before the team traded for Khalil Mack. In fact, there was a strong desire among a large contingent of Charger fans for the team to trade for Hicks at the NFL trade deadline while the Bolts had one of the worst run defenses in the league.

That ultimately did not happen and now the Chargers could potentially sign Hicks without giving up a pick. Hicks is not going to get a huge contract and should get around what Linval Joseph was making last season ($8.5 million). In fact, a two-year, $17 million deal is exactly what the Chargers signed Joseph to and is what Pro Football Focus projects Hicks to get.

I personally have my reservations about Hicks because of his age and the direction he going. We saw that happen with Joseph and replacing Joseph with Hicks doesn't seem like it will accomplish as much as other potential signings.

However, there are two reasons why Hicks could still be the main Bears target for LA. The first is the fact that they traded for Mack and putting someone he is familiar with in Brandon Staley's defense could be a positive thing for all parties involved.

Second of all, the Chargers could be eye-balling Jordan Davis in the 2022 NFL Draft and if so, it would be a bit redundant for the team to sign someone like Sebastian Joseph-Day and draft Davis. If the team is locked in on Davis, Hicks makes more sense as he can play defensive end in a 3-4 defense while Davis plays nose tackle.