The Bears’ pass rush has been a problem for general manager Ryan Poles throughout his tenure, and the team won’t be a serious threat until he fixes it.
Success in the NFL comes down to having great quarterback play and preventing great quarterback play. The Bears are optimistic they’re going to solve the first part of that equation with Caleb Williams, but the other half continues to elude them. They have had the second-fewest sacks in the league in the last four seasons.
Free agency opens Monday, giving Poles another chance to get this absolute necessity right.
Former Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is the best available pass rusher. There are concerns about him coming off core-muscle surgery at 31, but he made four consecutive Pro Bowls and had 57 sacks in 2021-24 before the injury derailed him last season.
The others at the top of the market are Jaelan Phillips (Eagles), who had 8½ sacks as a rookie in 2021 but hasn’t reached that number since, and Odafe Oweh (Chargers), who totaled 17½ sacks in the last two seasons.
The next tier features Boye Mafe (Seahawks), Kwity Paye (Colts), K’Lavon Chaisson (Patriots), A.J. Epenesa (Bills) and Joseph Ossai (Bengals). All have had their moments, but the Bears would be betting on upside in those cases.
Then there are the veterans out to prove they’re not done. Former Bears star Khalil Mack is in that category but is off the market after agreeing to a one-year, $18 million deal Saturday to stay with the Chargers.
Defensive ends have more longevity than most positions, so teams won’t rush to write off Cameron Jordan (36), Joey Bosa (30), Bradley Chubb (29) or Haason Reddick (31). One of them might be an option on an expensive short-term deal.
Jordan, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection who had 10½ sacks last season, played 10 seasons under Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen with the Saints.
However the Bears go about it, pass rusher is a premium position that requires premium resources. Poles hasn’t taken many big swings at it, and they haven’t worked out as he projected when he has.
Trading for Montez Sweat midway through the 2023 season and extending him on a four-year, $98 million deal was by far Poles’ splashiest acquisition. But while Sweat has been good, he has yet to be great. He is 18th in sacks since then with 21½.
Poles paid for potential when he signed Dayo Odeyingbo to a three-year, $48 million contract a year ago, but Odeyingbo had one sack in eight games before tearing an Achilles tendon. He also invested a second-round pick in Shemar Turner, only for him to suffer a torn anterior cruciate ligament halfway through his rookie season.
Other than Sweat, Odeyingbo and Turner, Poles has tried to find answers among later-round draft picks and modestly priced free agents. Players such as DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson and Austin Booker haven’t been game-changers, however.
Turner, Odeyingbo and Booker would compete to start opposite Sweat if the Bears don’t add someone significant in free agency or in the draft. OverTheCap projects them to have $26.6 million in salary-cap space — a number that could grow with some contract restructuring — and they have the Nos. 25, 57 and 60 overall picks.
The Bears have several other pressing needs, but this should come first.
When coach Ben Johnson thought recently about the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks and what the Bears could glean from them, he quickly pointed to their ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks without blitzing. The Seahawks, Broncos and Rams — all of whom reached at least the championship game in their conference — were among the top six in pressure rate last season.
And while the overarching story of the 2026 season will be Williams’ development, straightening out the defense would help that, too. The Bears don’t want him to be in a position in which he has to keep winning shootouts and rallying late. Putting some power in their pass rush would help them across the board.
NOTE: Veteran special-teams player Daniel Hardy, a defensive end, posted on social media that he agreed to a two-year deal to re-sign with the Bears.