The Chicago Bears have added new members to their defense in free agency. There hasn't been an edge rusher added, but if the team follows this blueprint, the Bears will be fine heading into the 2026 NFL season.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles made it a priority to improve his team’s defense in free agency. Seven of the nine new players on this Bears roster were added to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit.
The Bears led the league in takeaways (33) last season, but struggled to stop the run, apply pressure on the quarterback and limit opponents’ passing production. Poles had to retool that side of the ball.
A new edge wasn’t added in free agency. A surprise since that group for the Bears accounted for 18 of the team’s 35 sacks. Montez Sweat had 10 of those sacks, and Austin Booker added another 4.5.
Here is the complete list of defensive ends on the roster: Sweat, Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo, Daniel Hardy, Jamree Kromah, Jonathan Garvin and Jeremiah Martin. Each of the last three players signed for a one-year, reserve/future contract.
Of course, this room can look different come April after the 2026 NFL Draft, but it’s an underwhelming group as it stands today. Despite the lack of star power or players with proven production, this will likely be the group the Bears have going into the draft.
This plan could actually work if these three benchmarks are met. The Bears draft a defensive end within their first three picks, Booker takes another step in Year 3 and Odeyingbo comes back healthy and produces.
That’s all that needs to happen. Completely doable, right?
The first part feels like a given, but anything is possible. This is widely known as a deep group of prospects at the defensive end position, so whether it’s at No. 25 overall in the first round or No. 57 or No. 60 in the second, there should be a good defensive end to take without it being overdraft.
The Bears haven’t drafted an edge rusher in the first round since Leonard Floyd was selected No. 9 overall in 2016. You have to go back to 2007 when the Bears drafted an edge rusher in the second round, Dan Bazuin from Central Michigan.
Booker showed plenty of flashes in his second season in the NFL, and he also got a lot more opportunities. He went from 283 snaps in his rookie season to 658. From Week 14 through the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Booker played at least 81.9% of the defensive snaps.
In that same time span, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound edge rusher registered 26 of his 35 total quarterback pressures and added 4.5 sacks. If he takes another step in his development, he can become a legitimate force off the edge.
Booker's run defense will have to continue improving, and in the game against the Los Angles Rams, he ended with a season high 81.4 run defensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Before Odeyingbo's season ended with an Achilles injury in the Week 9 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the 26-year-old defensive end had put together a discouraging performance.
He finished with just 10 total quarterback pressures and one sack, which occurred in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears signed him to a three-year, $48 million contract.
Poles wouldn't have signed Odeyingbo if Allen didn't see him as a schematic fit. Whatever that initial vision was for the 6-foot-6, 286-pound defensive end, it must materialize in 2026. Carrying the fourth-highest cap hit on the roster ($20.5 million), Odeyingbo can’t afford a quiet second year in Chicago—and neither can the Bears.
The Bears aren't entering the 2026 season without a plan at edge rusher. Maybe the team didn't want to sign a veteran edge rusher because that would take reps away from the current group. Or the money just didn't make sense for players like Cam Jordan or Joey Bosa to name a few.
Even though a high-profile veteran hasn't been added to the unit, the team can still find success at the edge rusher position if they draft one early, Booker continues his ascent in Year 3, and Odeyingbo finally plays up to his contract in his second year with the team.