The Chicago Bears have already been busy over the past few days. General manager Ryan Poles had to get under the salary cap and prepare the roster for some retooling. He didn’t waste any time. Wide receiver D.J. Moore was traded to the Buffalo Bills along with a 5th round pick in exchange for a 2nd round pick. That cleared $16.5 million from the books. Next went Tremaine Edmunds, released to free up another $15 million. Drew Dalman’s abrupt retirement will net the Bears an additional $14 million, putting them in the black. That is why they quickly swung a trade with New England for veteran center Garrett Bradbury.
The legal tampering period is now set to open on Monday. That means teams will be free to start negotiating with pending free agents while also working fast to retain any other guys before they go elsewhere. Fans are desperate to know what the Bears have planned. Some believe they will take a big swing for a top name, hoping to land a difference-maker. However, people close to Halas Hall revealed to SM that the plan is much simpler and familiar to some.
It is expected that the Bears will focus on every younger “high upside player.” This is basically a strategy Poles has utilized in the past when he doesn’t plan to spend big money, hoping to find good depth and maybe score a couple of starters.
The Chicago Bears clearly seem focused on the draft.
While there is no shortage of prominent names in this free agent class, most of them have asterisks next to. Some of it is because they’re on the older side at 30+, while others dealt with injury issues last season. Trey Hendrickson, a popular one among Bears fans, is a perfect example. Poles and head coach Ben Johnson aren’t willing to commit another lofty contract to such players after what happened with Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo last year. They want to take calculated gambles on younger players who have talent and maybe something to prove.
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Such a strategy is often utilized by teams planning to stay focused on the draft. That is what the Bears did when Poles first arrived. It was hit-and-miss in terms of success. Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, Nicholas Morrow, and Al-Quadin Muhammad never amounted to much. On the other hand, DeMarcus Walker and Andrew Billings were great additions in 2023. So it entirely depends on landing the right player at the right time. Such a strategy depends heavily on the coaching staff, which is great news for the Chicago Bears.
| Player | Position | 2025 Team | Key Production / Rotational Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Allgeier | RB | Atlanta Falcons | The “late-game hammer” behind Bijan Robinson; averaged 4.3 yards per carry. |
| Kenneth Gainwell | RB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Change-of-pace back; recorded a career-high 73 catches in 2025. |
| Jalen Nailor | WR | Minnesota Vikings | Reliable No. 3 option; averaged 15.3 yards per catch. |
| Tyquan Thornton | WR | Kansas City Chiefs | Situational deep threat; led the league with 23.1 yards per reception. |
| Avonte Maddox | S/DB | Detroit Lions | Versatile DB with an 84.8 PFF grade after taking over late in the season. |
| Ar’Darius Washington | S | Baltimore Ravens | High-efficiency “chess piece” (86.1 PFF coverage grade) in sub-packages. |
| Coby Bryant | S | Seattle Seahawks | Rotational contributor; 80.9 run-defense grade since 2024. |
| Leo Chenal | LB | Kansas City Chiefs | Specialized “run-stuffer” and situational blitzer with 193 career tackles. |
The goal of this approach is simple.
Chicago isn’t aiming to swing for the fences. Their objective comes in two parts. First, add some younger legs to the roster, increase team depth and speed, and maybe get lucky by unearthing a few quality starters. Spread that money across as many positions as possible. This will allow Poles to enter the draft without a glaring need that might pressure him to address it in the 1st round. He will be free to select the best player available, regardless of position.
That approach is what led the Bears to Colston Loveland and Luther Burden last year. Nobody is complaining about that. Sure, big swings are fun and create hype. Yet history says they almost never have the desired effect. That is why Poles constantly talks about being disciplined with their spending. That is unlikely to change now. Not unless Ben Johnson decides to throw caution to the wind.
