The 2024 offseason is officially underway with the Chicago Bears making moves in the early portion of free agency.

Entering his third offseason as the general manager, Ryan Poles has made his mark on the roster and looks to build off a season in which the Bears took a step forward. Poles has already taken care of some in-house matters, extending star cornerback Jaylon Johnson to a top-of-the-market contract to lock him in long-term. With a ton of cap space and the number one overall pick still at his disposal, this is an offseason that has the potential to be transformational for the franchise moving forward.

Despite all of the resources at his disposal, Poles and the Bears’ front office have had a patient approach at the start of free agency. While many fans and pundits have connected the Bears to a number of the big, splashy names available this year, it is looking more and more likely that Poles will be more reserved with the money he decides to spend once again. It has been a common theme in free agency so far for this regime, not overplaying their hand and overspending to bring players in. With that said, Poles has added some much-needed talent to the roster so far and should continue to add more as the offseason progresses.

For this article, I will be providing my grades and quick thoughts on each signing that the Bears make. Grades will be determined by a combination of the quality of player signed, the value of the contract and the positional need that was addressed in the signing.

Here’s a look at my grades for the 2024 Bears’ signings so far, with more surely to come.

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The first signing of the Bears’ offseason came on the defensive side of the ball before the new league year began with the addition of former All-Pro safety Kevin Byard.

After a fantastic run with the Tennessee Titans where he established himself as one of the best safeties in the game, Byard was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles last year in a mid-season addition. In 2023, Byard finished with 122 tackles and one interception before being released as a cap casualty earlier this month. Byard also finished with a solid grade of 74.0 according to Pro Football Focus.

For the Bears, Byard brings a veteran presence to a young secondary as Eddie Jackson’s replacement in that role. At 30 years old, Byard has lost a step or two compared to his prime form in Tennessee, but he’s still a very smart player who can play a flexible role in the secondary. Byard is also a very reliable tackler, missing only 6.6% of his tackle attempts for his career and only 4.7% last season. While he did allow career highs in yards and yards per target last season, Byard can still be effective in zone coverages where he can use his smarts and instincts to be in the right position.

Overall, Byard is a solid addition for the Bears who rounds out a unit that might be among the best secondaries in the NFL next season. Even though the Bears likely could have waited out the market a bit to look for a cheaper option at safety, this is a solid deal for a player of Byard’s caliber.

As soon as the negotiating window opened on Monday, the Bears made it a priority to sign D’Andre Swift on day one of free agency.

Originally a second-round pick of the Detroit Lions, Swift spent last season with the Eagles after being traded there last offseason. Swift had the best season of his career as the featured back in Philadelphia, setting a career-high with 1,049 rushing yards. Additionally, Swift had six total touchdowns on his way to being named to his first Pro Bowl selection.

I have mixed feelings about this signing. On one hand, Swift brings an element to the Bears’ backfield that the unit is currently lacking with his explosiveness and receiving ability. Swift has been a productive player, averaging 4.6 yards per carry for his career, but it’s important to remember that he has benefitted from playing behind some of the best offensive lines in the NFL during that stretch. With his speed and shiftiness in the open field, however, Swift should be a big play threat every time he touches the ball in Shane Waldron’s offense.

Conversely, I’m not sure that this was a great use of resources nor do I think this signing addresses a major need on the roster. From a philosophical standpoint, I’m against significant investment in the running back position. The Bears already have an explosive runner on the roster with Khalil Herbert who has outpaced Swift in most efficiency metrics and invested a fourth-round pick in Roschon Johnson last offseason. While I understand the thinking of wanting a better receiving threat in the backfield, I think that need could’ve been addressed at a lower cost. There’s also the issue of Eagles running backs regressing once they leave and don’t have the luxury of playing behind an elite offensive line, see Miles Sanders last offseason.

All-in-all, while I do think Swift will be a solid contributor for the Bears’ offense, I just can’t fully get behind the value of this signing.

The Bears added more receiving help on Tuesday by signing Gerald Everett to a two-year deal.

As a former second-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams, Everett has been a solid move tight end in the NFL for a variety of different teams. Everett has familiarity with Waldron from a few different spots, first in their time together in Los Angeles before Everett followed Waldron to Seattle in 2021. For the past two seasons, Everett was a reliable target for Justin Herbert on the Chargers with 109 receptions for 966 yards and seven touchdowns during that span.

This is a solid addition for the Bears as the team beefs up its secondary options in the passing game. Waldron likes to utilize a ton of two-tight end sets and Everett provides the perfect complement to Cole Kmet as a versatile tight end who can move all over the formation. Everett provides more quickness and speed to the position, proving himself as one of the better tight ends in the NFL at getting yards after catch during his career. While he isn’t a great field stretcher at this stage, there are still a variety of ways that Everett can be utilized in the passing game.

With this contract structure, the Bears essentially have Everett on a one-year deal with an option for a second year. Even though I don’t think there’s a ton of upside with this move, this is the type of low-risk, solid-value signing you want to make in free agency.