The Chicago Bears have been connected to plenty of pass rush options over the past several weeks following the NFL draft. Everybody knows the team could use more help. Despite what general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson say, people aren’t naive. They know the current configuration on the edge isn’t enough. Montez Sweat and Austin Booker are a decent enough pairing, but the depth situation is particularly troublesome. Dayo Odeyingbo is coming off a torn Achilles. Shemar Turner hasn’t yet returned from a torn ACL. Dominique Robinson left in free agency. The team has no other clear options. Enter Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
Don’t feel bad if the name doesn’t ring a bell. The former 1st round pick out of Kansas State arrived with minimal fanfare in 2023. He joined the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, a team already loaded with talent. What followed were two uneventful seasons for the 31st overall pick. Even as the Chiefs established their dynasty, Anudike-Uzomah couldn’t get more playing time. Then a hamstring injury ended his 2025 before it even began. Some believe he needs a fresh start elsewhere, and Bleacher Report feels Chicago is a good spot.
Chicago Bears: Trade a late 2027 pick for Chiefs DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Bears don’t have the financial resources to take a big swing for Las Vegas Raiders edge-rusher Maxx Crosby. If that’s true, Chicago can look to bolster its pass-rushing depth with a former first-round pick.
Last August, Kansas City placed Anudike-Uzomah on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, which sidelined him for the entire 2025 season. He’s made minimal impact with the Chiefs, recording 41 tackles (eight for loss), three sacks and 19 pressures.
Yet Anudike-Uzomah showed brief promise during the 2024 campaign, playing 31 percent of the defensive snaps. Perhaps a restart with a new team that needs a pass-rusher would give him more opportunities to showcase his potential.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah has never lacked talent.
He was excellent over his final two seasons for Kansas State, collecting 19.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for a loss. For somebody who was modest in size, he displayed considerable power and length. Add an aggressive demeanor, and he looked like someone made to be successful in the NFL. Draft experts felt he was inexperienced, though, and needed to improve his instincts. The unfortunate reality for Anudike-Uzomah in Kansas City is that he’s been stuck on a deep roster.
When he arrived in 2023, the team already had Chris Jones and George Karlaftis as established starters with veterans like Charles Omenihu and Mike Danna backing them up. That made it difficult for the rookie to see any action. It was much the same in 2024, even as Anudike-Uzomah got more snaps that year. He wasn’t bad. In the seven games in which he had 10 or more rushes on the quarterback, he recorded 10 pressures and 2 sacks. He’s still just 24 years old. It isn’t crazy to think a fresh start might do him good.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
The Bears can offer what the Chiefs can’t.
That is an opportunity to play. Given the current state of Chicago’s depth chart, there are plenty of pass rush reps to be had behind Sweat and Booker. That isn’t happening for Anudike-Uzomah in Kansas City, especially after they just drafted R Mason Thomas in the 2nd round. His status on that roster is pretty clear at this point. The Bears can probably offer a future late-round pick for him without much trouble. It is your classic low-risk-high-reward strategy. At worst, the Bears give their depth a minor boost with somebody experienced. At best, the added chances to play finally flip the switch and help him unlock that still considerable potential.
We already know Poles doesn’t mind flipping late round picks for depth options. It is a strategy he has employed for years, particularly on the defensive line. We saw that with Darrell Taylor and Chris Williams in 2024, and then Joe Tryon-Shoyinka last year. Poles has obvious connections to the Chiefs organization and has worked trades with them before. If Anudike-Uzomah is available, don’t be surprised if the Bears take a flier on him before the regular season begins in September.
