The Chicago Bears are rarely this aggressive. That should tell you how serious they are about winning football games this season. GM Ryan Poles already nabbed two quality additions to the trenches with center Drew Dalman and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. Most people felt, understandably, that it would be the extent of their work on the first day of action. They were wrong. Mere minutes after the Odeyingbo news drops, the Bears struck again, this time adding former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.
The move will likely be met with annoyance from fans because the 31-year-old only had 2.5 sacks last season. That conveniently ignores complicating factors. Jarrett had 34 pressures during the year, which is pretty impressive considering he had torn his ACL in 2023. He also didn’t have much help around him in Atlanta, which will obviously have been the case in Chicago. Don’t forget Dennis Allen knows him well. He coached against the Falcons for years with the Saints. He knows the type of disruptor Jarrett can be.
The Chicago Bears don’t need Jarrett to carry the load.
They already have Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings capable of starting. Jarrett should be able to play more of a rotational role, utilizing his skills as an interior pass rusher without the added wear and tear of defending the run. If this is how the Chicago Bears deploy him, it could prove a masterful stroke. The one thing they always seemed to be missing was quickness and explosion on the interior. Even at 32 years old, Jarrett should still be able to provide both. His arrival also furthers the goal of allowing Poles to enter the NFL draft next month without having to be governed by needs. He can take the best players on his board, regardless of position. It will maximize their chances of landing good players that way.
How would Eberflus done with this drastically improved roster with more to come?
Barry in both sites .. all you do is profess your hate for Caleb. Rarely is there anything else from you. Makes me wonder if you’re actually a Bears fan? Last year did not work out, Mostly due to a Poles mistake. He should have fired Eberflus after the 23 season. Yes there was draft mistakes, (GM do screw up) but most of it has been to inept coaching & development which point to Eberflus. ( plus we all bitched about 24 , its over, you cant go backwards) . I honestly think you feel they should have drafted Jayden… Read more »
While it’s great Poles addressed the DL, he overpaid for Jarrett. Jury’s out on Odeyingbo. He could still be a very good DE.
If these guys play well, then Poles is a genius. If not, then it was a waste. But we’ll wait and see.
Any other moves coming for RB or WR?
This is turning out to be a juicy off season so far. The hype around the Chicago Bears In 2025 is going to be crazy. Hopefully they can live up to it and succeed in the division. I see this already being an even more talented team then last year on paper, and now we have our trenches. If we can add complimentary pieces in the draft we may have a reason to be excited for years to come. Hats off to the Bears org for putting down the BS and getting to work. Now let’s finish this off season… Read more »
@barry yes I think it’s quite humorous how fans react to trends. I listed my questions earlier about the way this team has been managed recently. Peeps seem to want to suggest that Poles didn’t believe in Flus while he upvoted him just 2 mos prior. I think you can say it’s a fact that Poles didn’t use all of his resources last year to build this team. Now Poles is throwing it all down. Were getting a full spree on everything that makes sense. It’s a great sight to see. We haven’t seen this kind of investment under Poles… Read more »