The Chicago Bears were plenty busy this offseason, making several moves across the roster to try and build on their momentum from their 11-6 season in 2025, the first under head coach Ben Johnson.
The team saw several veterans depart this offseason, from the release of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, center Drew Dalman’s retirement, trade of wide receiver DJ Moore and several veterans departing in free agency, including safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker.
As they put in work to rebuild their roster after the losses, Chicago impressed some analysts with their moves in the trenches, and others still have questions about the lack of attention that they made on the defensive side of the ball.
ESPN graded the best and worst moves that the Bears made this offseason and focusing on the positives at first, Chicago received praise for their work on adding to the offensive line. Following the sudden retirement of center Drew Dalman this offseason, the Bears wasted no time trading for a short-term answer in Garrett Bradbury and finding a long-term replacement with Logan Jones in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
In a free agent market where there weren’t many plug-and-play solutions at those positions, general manager Ryan Poles was able to add multiple potential contributors at both spots. At center, the Bears traded for Patriots pivot Garrett Bradbury, who started all 17 games for a team that made it to the Super Bowl. Poles then used a second-round pick on Logan Jones, who won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center in 2025. Jones should be the team’s long-term replacement at the position for Dalman. Left tackle is always going to be trickier to fill, but the Bears have options. Athletic Canadian Theo Benedet, who had several starts at the position last season, is back in 2026. Poles brought back Braxton Jones — who was the team’s primary option at left tackle for most of his four years with the organization — on a reasonable deal at one year and $5 million. And the Bears took a flier on 2020 Browns first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr., who was impressive as a rookie before injuries took a toll.”
As for the worst rated move by the Bears, their lack of pass rush is certainly a big talking point headed into the 2026 season, and ESPN isn’t a fan of Chicago remaining stagnant on the position.
The Bears didn’t get enough pass pressure in 2025. When coordinator Dennis Allen didn’t send extra pass rushers at the quarterback, the Bears ranked 30th in pressure rate (23.7%). Montez Sweat managed 10 sacks, but the team’s two notable free agent additions from last offseason failed to make much of an impact; Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett combined for only 2.5 sacks and 12 knockdowns in their first season with Chicago. Odeyingbo was sidelined for the second half of the season after tearing an Achilles, an injury that could limit him in 2026. Considering $13 million of Odeyingbo’s $15.5 million base salary was already guaranteed at signing, the Bears were stuck in a difficult position. Between Sweat and Odeyingbo, Poles was already committed to a significant amount at edge rusher. But the Bears still needed to add another player to help their pass rush.
The draft might have been a logical place for Poles to look for a solution, but the Bears didn’t add anybody to help out on the edge. Chicago also hasn’t signed anyone there in free agency. Again, though, there’s still time to find a solution, with players such as Joey Bosa and Haason Reddick still unsigned.”
There are still plenty of questions to be answered for the Bears heading into the 2026 season, none bigger than how they will fix their lack of production in their pass rush game. Getting Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner back from injury will be key for the defense. Chicago’s defensive coaches spoke about taking responsibility for the defense’s lack of success this past season, but the front office could’ve worked a bit more diligently to bring in reinforcements in both the offensive and defensive trenches.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears’ best and worst offseason moves, according to ESPN
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