The Chicago Bears didn’t make any significant moves on the defensive line this spring, much to the consternation of fans and media. This unit ranked near the bottom of the league in both pressure rate and run defense. Yet they added no new starters. Their only additions were all depth pieces like Neville Gallimore, James Lynch, Kentavius Street, and 6th round pick Jordan Van Den Berg. It is plainly clear general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson are banking on Austin Booker taking a step forward while Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner return healthy. That seems a little too optimistic and unlikely to pan out.
So is there even a plan here?
Most likely. However, it involves something that fans don’t tend to have these days: patience. There isn’t much the Bears can do about it right now. They didn’t have much cap space to spend in free agency and picking late in every round made it difficult to land any quality defensive linemen in the draft. The unfortunate truth is that the team was pretty much stuck with their current setup even before the offseason began. However, things will take a considerable turn next year.
Ryan Poles will be freed to make moves in 2027.
Contract structures this year made freeing up money almost impossible without restructuring deals. That would’ve created a massive cap issue down the road. Poles has made it clear he doesn’t want to do this. However, things change drastically next year. Five prominent players on defense will have zero guaranteed money left on their contracts, meaning they can all be released for significant cap savings.
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| Player | 2027 base salary | Guaranteed money | Cap saved if cut |
| Montez Sweat | $18,900,000 | $0 | $21,000,000 |
| Jaylon Johnson | $13,050,000 | $0 | $16,000,000 |
| Dayo Odeyingbo | $13,500,000 | $0 | $15,000,000 |
| Grady Jarrett | $11,750,000 | $0 | $13,500,000 |
| T.J. Edwards | $8,250,000 | $0 | $8,500,000 |
If the Bears were to release all five of those players, they would have just over $105 million in cap space. That would give Ryan Poles tons of wiggle room to go hunting for potential upgrades on both the free agent and trade markets. Some will argue it’s almost impossible to rebuild a unit in one offseason. Except we just saw Poles literally do that a year ago in 2025. In the span of two months, he overhauled the entire offensive line.
- Traded for Joe Thuney
- Traded Jonah Jackson
- Signed Drew Dalman
- Drafted Ozzy Trapilo
Before Trapilo got injured, that front was playing some really good football. One would think Poles is confident he can do it again, this time on defense.
The Bears could have some big opportunities.
Next year has a chance to be a really good one for defensive line options. We have edge rushers like Byron Young, Yaya Diaby, and Tuli Tuipulotu. Then you have interior pass rushers like DeVonta Wyatt, Kobie Turner, and Moro Ojomo. Obviously, not all of them will reach the open market. Yet if some of them do, the Bears will have more than enough cap space to take a couple of swings at some upgrades. This is before you consider the possibility of finding some bargains on the trade market.
| Player | Position | Current Team | Age (May 2027) | 2027 Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayvon Thibodeaux | Edge | N.Y. Giants | 26 | High-upside pass rusher; extension candidate. |
| Will McDonald IV | Edge | N.Y. Jets | 27 | Hitting market after rookie contract. |
| Jermaine Johnson | Edge | Tennessee Titans | 28 | Playing through 5th-year option. |
| YaYa Diaby | Edge | Tampa Bay Bucs | 27 | Emerging star; priority re-sign. |
| Byron Young | Edge | L.A. Rams | 29 | High market demand expected. |
| Kobie Turner | DT | L.A. Rams | 28 | Elite interior pass-rush threat. |
| Devonte Wyatt | DT | Green Bay Packers | 29 | Key interior rotational piece. |
| Keeanu Benton | DL | Pittsburgh Steelers | 25 | Young, versatile physical anchor. |
| Moro Ojomo | DT | Philadelphia Eagles | 25 | Breakout player; new contract target. |
| Tuli Tuipulotu | Edge | L.A. Chargers | 24 | Highly productive young edge. |
Then they go into the 2027 NFL draft, where they will have almost their full complement of picks, including their top four selections. While early, many experts believe as many as ten defensive linemen could go in the 1st round alone, meaning it could be a really strong class. That would fall in line with one of Poles’ strengths as a general manager: being able to anticipate the future. We saw that when he bypassed Bryce Young and landed Caleb Williams a year later. If this plan is executed with the same urgency as last year with the offensive line, the Bears’ defensive front will look considerably better.
