The Chicago Bears didn’t make a single notable addition to the edge rusher position this offseason. They didn’t sign anybody in free agency and didn’t select anybody in the draft. As weeks went by, it slowly settled in that general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson wanted to see how their current group would look next season. A big reason for that is health. Austin Booker, Shemar Turner, and Dayo Odeyingbo all missed significant time in 2025 with various injuries. Better luck on that front could lead to better results. Or, as Brian Baldinger pointed out on 104.3 The Score, the Bears could just sign Von Miller.
His case centered around two key factors. One is that the future Hall of Famer is still a productive player even at 37 years old. He had nine sacks for a bad Washington Commanders defense last season. The other is his leadership. Miller is known for being a quality presence in the locker room. He may not be the dominant force he was ten years ago, but he is still someone who can make strong contributions to an organization. Baldinger presented the case in the clearest terms.
Von Miller to Chicago isn’t as crazy as it sounds.
The immediate reaction for some will be eyerolls. That doesn’t make any sense. Miller is 6’3″ and 250 lbs. He’s too small for Chicago’s defense. This overlooks the fact that Dennis Allen was his first coach in the NFL. When the Denver Broncos drafted Miller 2nd overall in 2011, Allen was the defensive coordinator. The pass rusher finished with eight sacks, 29 quarterback hits, was named Defensive Rookie of the Year, and won a playoff game. Allen was hired away to become the Raiders’ head coach the following season, so their time together was short.
That said, the Bears’ defensive coordinator should have a good enough memory of how to deploy Miller on the field. At this point in his career, the strategy is pretty simple. Allen would bring him in on passing downs as one of their situational pass rushers. This would preserve his body’s wear and tear and keep him fresh over the course of a long season. The unknown factors are how much money Miller is looking for and whether he views the Bears as a contender. Every stop he’s made since leaving Denver has included that as a prerequisite.
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Ask the question. Would the Bears’ defense be better with Von Miller in the mix? The answer is yes. He is better than all but one of their pass rushers right now. In the absence of a long-term solution, the smart thing for the team to do is add as much rush capability to this front as possible. If they want to get back to the playoffs and make a run at a Super Bowl, sooner or later, they’ll have to show they can get to the quarterback with some sort of regularity. A trio of Miller, Montez Sweat, and Austin Booker would at least be credible.
That would, in turn, ease the burden on Odeyingbo and Turner to pick up the slack when they return. Both are better run defenders on the edge anyway. The Bears could use Odeyingbo more as an interior rusher if Miller were on the roster, which is his greater strength. Everything about this idea makes sense. What it comes down to is whether the Bears are willing to pay the money and whether Miller is interested in Chicago. We’ll likely have answers to both questions closer to training camp.
