The Bears have not made any notable defensive end acquisitions this offseason, but they are “keeping tabs on potential options,” according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. A.J. Epenesa, who is among the established free agent veterans left at the position, worked out for the Bears last week, Biggs reports.
Epenesa, a 2020 second-round pick who spent his first six seasons in Buffalo, briefly came off the board when he agreed to sign with the Browns in late March. That deal collapsed as a result of a failed physical, and Epenesa is still looking for a team over two months later. The 27-year-old worked out for the Dolphins last month, but it is unclear whether they are considering signing him.
Although he couldn’t pass the Browns’ physical, Epenesa did not miss significant time with injuries as a member of the Bills. He played between 14 and 17 regular-season games each year in Buffalo, where he mostly served as a rotational player. Epenesa was a 13-game starter in 2024, but he combined for just six starts in his other five seasons as a Bill. The former Iowa Hawkeye has notched 53 quarterback hits, 24 sacks, 21 pass deflections and four interceptions in 91 games as a pro.
Epenesa racked up six to 6.5 sacks in each season from 2022-24, but the number dropped to 2.5 over 16 games last year. He also added 32 tackles, four PDs and a pair of picks while playing 44.6% of defensive snaps as a depth piece behind Greg Rousseau and Joey Bosa. He ended the campaign as Pro Football Focus’ 86th-ranked edge defender out of 119 qualifiers.
While the Bears’ turnover-happy defense helped the team to an NFC North title in 2025, the unit finished just 26th in sacks (35). Montez Sweat, who totaled a team-leading 10 sacks, remains atop the Bears’ defensive end group. Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner are also among their returning options. Odeyingbo inked a three-year, $48MM pact with the Bears in March 2025, but the former Colt missed nine games with an Achilles tear and chipped in just one sack when healthy. The Bears expect Odeyingbo back for training camp, though they could still pick up Epenesa or someone else before the season opens.
Epenesa is part of a market that features better pass rushers in Bosa, Cameron Jordan, Jadeveon Clowney and former Bills teammate Von Miller. He is likely to sign for less than each of them, especially after failing a physical. That could matter to a Chicago team that has around $6.46MM in effective cap space (via OverTheCap), which ranks 23rd in the league.