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Chicago Bears’ Top Free Agent Priority Should Be Terrance Knighton

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Terrance Knighton Denver Broncos Chicago Bears

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We know the Chicago Bears have a lot of holes to fill this offseason. It’s only natural after a disappointing 5-11 season, and one that showed that there was a void of talent at several positions, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

But As Ryan Pace continues to approach the start of his first free agency period as the Bears’ general manager, he is going to look at several different names to fill the various issues facing the Bears’ roster.

The name that should be sitting at No. 1 on his list is Terrance Knighton.

Knighton is the huge, 350 pound defensive tackle of the Denver Broncos who goes by the nickname Pot Roast. Knighton is perfect to be the nose tackle in a typical 3-4 defense, and assuming Vic Fangio will be transitioning the Bears to that defensive scheme, they’ll need a nose tackle who can handle the load.

The only player the Bears have on their roster who can really handle that position is Jeremiah Ratliff, who was a two-time all-pro for the Dallas Cowboys at that same position in 2008 and 2009. He isn’t the prototypical NT, but he did excel. The issue facing Ratliff is that he will be 34 years old entering 2015, and you have to wonder if he can handle the pounding that a NT in a 3-4 defense takes on a week-to-week basis. Ratliff could be perfect as a guy who spells Knighton and can go strong on 15-20 snaps a game.

Knighton has a very good relationship with John Fox, and the Broncos have to spend their offseason making sure they keep Demaryius Thomas on the roster. With their cap situation stretched like it is, it’s going to be very difficult for Denver to keep Knighton on the roster.

The Bears also need a dynamic pass rusher to put an outside linebacker, but it’s highly unlikely anyone who fits that mold will be allowed to walk from their current team (i.e. Justin Houston). Yes, we know the Bears also need secondary help (let’s be honest, they need help everywhere on defense), but they need to bring in Knighton and anchor their defensive front seven if they want to start building a top notch 3-4 defense under Fangio.

Let’s serve up some pot roast in Chicago.

Bill Zimmerman is a Chicago Bears writer for www.RantSports.Com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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