The Chicago Bears have had some problems with their pass protection in recent weeks. More specifically, their interior pass protection. Right tackle Darnell Wright has been outstanding as usual. Even left tackle Theo Benedet has played above expectations. The source of their struggles has come from inside. The problem is where? Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson have had occasional breakdowns, but the true source of the issues stems from two men: center Garrett Bradbury and running back D’Andre Swift.
A big reason for this has been opponents attacking both of them with blitzes. While every team has done this against Chicago, their most recent opponents, like New England, Seattle, and Tampa Bay, did it at a higher rate than any other point this season. It isn’t a coincidence that a majority of those extra attackers have come up the middle. The reason is becoming obvious. Both Bradbury and Swift have struggled to pick them up.
Swift has been particularly vulnerable, allowing 6 pressures combined against the Patriots and Buccaneers in just 28 snaps. It comes from multiple angles. He often takes the wrong read, giving defenders a free path to the QB. Other times he’ll get caught lunging, allowing his assignments to merely sidestep him.
Garrett Bradbury has his own problems.
While his experience has allowed him not to get caught off guard too often by blitzes, he still has a tendency to lose track of guys he’s supposed to pick up. Beyond that, his long-standing reputation for struggling against bull rushes remains intact. Tampa Bay exploited the former while Seattle exploited the latter. This ongoing problem between the two men has left Caleb Williams uncomfortable too often, leading to errant passes or sacks. It isn’t something easily fixed, too.
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The Bears haven’t admitted it, but they really miss Kyle Monangai. People talk about his ability as a runner being so vital to the offense, which is true. They don’t recognize his equal value in pass protection. He hadn’t allowed a single pressure in 22 snaps prior to his turf toe injury in October. Keep in mind Swift had 68 pass blocks total in 2025. He’s already up to 74 this year. The Monangai injury has forced the Bears to rely on Swift far more than intended, and opponents are exploiting that.
Head coach Ben Johnson has some decisions to make.
The good news is Monangai is expected to return after the bye week. That should help settle things down a bit in their blitz pickup. More complicated is the Garrett Bradbury situation. Johnson values him for his experience, intelligence, and communication ability. It is a major reason the offense has been successful this year, despite the mishaps in protection. Is Johnson willing to accept this drawback as a necessary evil, or would he contemplate going to 2nd round pick Logan Jones?
Right now, the safest bet is that they stick with Bradbury and hope Monangai’s return helps stabilize the running back protection issues. The hard truth is the Bears probably knew this was coming when they traded for him. The abrupt retirement of Drew Dalman was always going to have consequences. This is merely an example of what that was inevitably going to be.
