After cracking the top ten, Chicago shifts focus to a revamped secondary. Ryan Poles bets on youth and speed to fix a struggling defense and sustain momentum.
The Chicago Bears are in a pivotal year in the Ryan Poles era.
The team reached the playoffs for the first time in Poles' tenure and is now looking to sustain its success after a Divisional Round exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams.
The 2025 class had a big impact in their first year. Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, Ozzy Trapilo and Kyle Monangai all started as rookies.
The Bears won the NFC North for the first time since 2018, but they were far from a perfect team.
Defensively, the Bears ranked toward the bottom of the league in passing yards, rushing yards and points allowed per game. The team couldn't seem to find a consistent pass rush either, accounting for 35 sacks overall.
The 2026 NFL Draft told us a lot about how Poles is planning on moving forward. He took Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, Iowa center Logan Jones, Stanford tight end Sam Roush, LSU receiver Zavion Thomas, Texas corner Malik Muhammad, Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan Van Den Berg.
ESPN's Courtney Cronin believes this signals that Poles will rely on a solid secondary to help address what was an underwhelming pass rush in 2025.
After the draft, the team added undrafted free agents Omari Kelly, Squirrel White, Jaren Kump, Caden Barnett, Mason Murphy, Miller Moss, Hayden Large, Coleman Bennett, Jayden Loving, Skyler Thomas, K.C. Eziomume, Gabriel Plasencia and Beau Gardner.
Chicago is also inviting numerous players from around the country to try out for the team.
Ahead of the Bears' first rookie minicamp this weekend, ESPN released its post-draft power rankings. Chicago came in ninth, two spots higher than its previous ranking.
ESPN believed the Bears' most improved position was safety, and Cronin shared her thoughts.
"The Bears revamped their back seven this offseason, particularly at safety," Cronin said. "Once Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker left in free agency, the team's biggest splash came by signing Coby Bryant to a three-year, $40 million deal. One month later, Chicago used the No. 25 pick on Oregon's Dillon Thieneman. The Bears lost Byard's league-leading seven interceptions, but they got younger, rangier and faster on the back end this offseason."
The Bears definitely had some shuffling at safety this offseason. The team lost starters Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, bringing in Coby Bryant from the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.
Poles found the other starting safety for 2026 in Thieneman. As Cronin said, the Bears got younger at the position with high-value additions.
The franchise finally got over the hump, and we'll see if 2026 is when they really take a huge step in the right direction.