{"id":118220,"date":"2024-05-08T15:40:21","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T15:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/?p=118220"},"modified":"2024-05-08T15:40:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T15:40:33","slug":"ex-vikings-pro-bowl-d-lineman-named-top-free-agent-target-for-bears-nguyensa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/ex-vikings-pro-bowl-d-lineman-named-top-free-agent-target-for-bears-nguyensa\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Vikings Pro Bowl D-Lineman Named Top Free Agent Target for Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GettyImages-1047242486-e1715179004834.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Linval Joseph\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-dom-ready-time=\"575\" data-img-load-time=\"1914\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Getty\u00a0Defensive tackle Linval Joseph is currently a free agent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Veteran defensive lineman\u00a0Linval Joseph\u00a0is currently a free agent, and one analyst believes the journeyman DT might make sense for the\u00a0Chicago Bears.<\/p>\n<p>Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports looked at the Bears\u2019 needs post-draft and concluded they need to add depth to their offensive and defensive lines, specifically.<\/p>\n<p>He named Joseph as a free agent option for Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoseph turns 36 next year and is not the same player that he was in his heyday with the Vikings,\u201d\u00a0Shapiro wrote on May 5. \u201cBut defensive tackle is one of the Bears\u2019 thinnest position groups, and Joseph could be an impactful veteran presence to help\u00a0Gervon Dexter\u00a0as Dexter presumably takes over as the team\u2019s starting three-tech.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Linval Joseph Would Be Affordable Addition at DT for Chicago Bears<\/h2>\n<div id=\"84125eab892e1329d9f757b20f689253\">\n<article>The\u00a0@BuffaloBills\u00a0getting Linval Joseph is a nice move. Played mostly straight-up 0-tech with a little nose shade for the Eagles last season. Primarily a double-team creator for others to thrive, but can still stack-and-shed and disrupt a bit.<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p>A second-round pick for the\u00a0New York Giants\u00a0in 2010, Joseph has been journeyman of sorts over his 14 seasons in the league. In addition to playing for the Giants, Joseph has played for the\u00a0Minnesota Vikings, making two Pro Bowls while there from 2014-2019, the\u00a0Los Angeles Chargers\u00a0(2020-2021), the\u00a0Philadelphia Eagles\u00a0(2022) and the\u00a0Buffalo Bills\u00a0(2023).<\/p>\n<p>The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Joseph hasn\u2019t played a full season in two years, but he can still be a disruptive presence. He played eight games in 2022 after the Eagles signed him in November of that season, and he was a mid-season pickup for Buffalo last year, as well.<\/p>\n<p>In seven games (no starts) with the Bills last season,\u00a0Joseph accumulated 12 total tackles\u00a0(one for loss), a QB hit and 1.0 sacks.<\/p>\n<p>Would adding a defensive tackle nearing the age of 36 to a roster that is currently ripe with youth interest the Bears? It\u2019s possible. Both Dexter and\u00a0Zacch Pickens\u00a0are just entering Year 2. Adding a veteran with loads of experience to fortify the group would make sense. Joseph would also be very affordable.<\/p>\n<p>He inked a one-year,\u00a0$1.4 million contract\u00a0with the Bills last year, and would likely command that or less again this season.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Bears May Focus More on DT in Free Agency After Drafting DE Austin Booker<\/h2>\n<p>Adding a vet such as Joseph became more likely for Chicago after the 2024 draft.<\/p>\n<p>The Bears did address their defensive line in the draft, trading into Round 5 to add Austin Booker. That selection added heft to Chicago\u2019s pass rush and may signal the team could focus on adding a defensive tackle such as Joseph next.<\/p>\n<p>Booker is a developmental player, but it\u2019s easy to like his potential.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s a guy that\u2019s got a lot of upside.\u201d Bears head coach\u00a0Matt Eberflus said\u00a0about Booker. \u201cHe\u2019s long, he\u2019s fast, he\u2019s got a lot of burst to close. You can definitely see that. And he plays an aggressive style, and we\u2019re excited to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Booker will likely line up on the edge opposite starter\u00a0Montez Sweat\u00a0and should be in a rotational role to start.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve played a 4-down my whole career, college and high school,\u201d\u00a0Booker revealed after getting drafted. \u201cBut I also know I have the athleticism to play on that three-down. Just having the versatility is only a plus for me moving forward. I\u2019m excited to run in the 4-3, get my hand in the dirt again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After his addition, all that\u2019s left for Chicago is adding some depth on the offensive and defensive lines. We\u2019ll see if the Bears give Joseph a call.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty\u00a0Defensive tackle Linval Joseph is currently a free agent. Veteran defensive lineman\u00a0Linval Joseph\u00a0is currently a free agent, and one analyst believes the journeyman DT might make sense&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":118229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118220"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118231,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118220\/revisions\/118231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}