The Bears' playoff run was exciting, but sustained success hinges on bolstering a porous defense through a strategic draft.
The Chicago Bears had a great season in 2025.
They ended many unfortunate milestones that had been hanging over the franchise for years. The Bears reached the postseason for the first time since 2020 and won their first division title since 2018.
Then, the incredible comeback win over the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card was the franchise's first playoff win since 2010, when the Bears beat the Seattle Seahawks to advance to the NFC Championship Game.
Chicago has a lot of promising players in place as well.
Caleb Williams is no doubt the franchise quarterback. Rome Odunze, Kyle Monangai, Luther Burden, Ozzy Trapilo, Colston Loveland and many others have great NFL careers ahead of them.
All of those players are still on their rookie deals, which is a great sign for the team's financial future.
The team added weapons in free agency, with linebacker Devin Bush, safety Coby Bryant, and defensive lineman Neville Gallimore, among the bigger acquisitions.
Now, the team needs to start building for sustained success so that all of this wasn't for nothing. The 2026 NFL Draft is, without a doubt, one of the most important drafts of the Ryan Poles era as General Manager.
This is mainly because the defense needs some work.
The Bears ranked in the bottom 15 of the league in rushing yards (134.4), passing yards (239.2) and points allowed per game (24.4) last season. The only bright spot was the ability to force takeaways. To their credit, the Bears led the league with 33 takeaways in 2025.
However, this kind of production on defense isn't very sustainable and could really hold this franchise back.
The Bears lost plenty of players to free agency, including safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker. Starters like Nahshon Wright and Tremaine Edmunds are also no longer with the team.
To further reinforce the importance of drafting defensive players, Warren Sharp posted a graph on X. The graph ranked all 32 NFL teams by the draft capital they invested in defensive players since 2020.
Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions were towards the top. The Jaguars had a massive turnaround in 2025, and the Lions have been playoff contenders for many years under head coach Dan Campbell.
The Eagles haven't missed a single playoff appearance since 2020.
It's no wonder they were able to right the ship, given how much was invested in drafting defensive talent. If you look at the Bears, they actually rank 31st on Sharp's graph.
Chicago hasn't spent a first-round pick on a defensive player since 2020. To find the last time they did that, you would have to go back to the 2018 NFL Draft, when the Bears drafted Roquan Smith out of Georgia at No. 8 overall.
Teams like the Jagurs, Lions, and Eagles have not been afraid to take defensive players higher in previous drafts, and it's paid dividends for them.
You can even look back at the 2025 NFL Draft for the Bears. Chicago took three offensive players before picking edge rusher Shemar Turner in the second round.
Don't get me wrong, most of the offensive players that Poles picked last year turned out great and have carved out starting roles. However, if the Bears are really serious about becoming a contender, defense will have to be a higher priority in the draft.
This will not only change things in the short term but should also lead to long-term success for the Bears.