It was one of the more puzzling decisions of the Chicago Bears‘ entire off-season. Despite a clear need along their defensive line after losing both Yannick Ngakoue and Justin Jones to free agency, the team didn’t invest heavily in that area. Their only notable addition was 5th round pick Austin Booker out of Kansas. While he should help them in a rotational role, it doesn’t make the front much better. This means the Bears either have a plan to find more help, or they’re banking on improvement from guys on the roster like Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens.
There is one other explanation, though. One thing to remember about GM Ryan Poles is he’s never thinking just about the upcoming season. He always has one eye forward, gauging what players are coming down the pipeline in the next year or two. Doing this helps to explain his actions over the past few months. According to Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network, early projections for the 2025 NFL draft have it loaded with defensive line talent, both interior and edge. The Bears likely chose to focus on the offense this off-season, knowing they’d be able to beef up the defensive line next spring.
The Chicago Bears know they’ll be safe going into next year.
Caleb Williams will have a stable offensive line and three high-end pass targets (DJ Moore, Cole Kmet, and Rome Odunze), all under contract. His supporting cast will be strong. That frees up Poles to go hog wild on defense if he wishes. The Bears have three picks in the first two rounds. If what Fowler says is true, Poles could double up on the front four with two of those picks. That would be a massive infusion of talent, especially if Booker happens to progress as they hope in the coming months.
Until then, the Chicago Bears believe they have enough talent up front to survive a year. Montez Sweat is a Pro Bowler. Dexter made big strides down the stretch last season. DeMarcus Walker is still a solid presence. If they can find somebody to fill the speed rusher role, be it Booker or a veteran free agent, that should suffice. The Bears have one of the best secondaries in the NFL and a solid linebacking corps as well. This defense should still rank in the top half of the league. If the offense takes a step forward as hoped, they will be in the playoff mix.
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Enter fumpy. Another bitter old woman to join Gena and Sally.
What does Ryan Fowler have to do with the Bears and how does he know why they didn’t go D Line? You type crap Erin
When he first arrived here, Eberflus said a 3Tech is absolutely vital to making his defense work. The first contract that Poles gave out was to Larry Ogunjobi, in March of ’22. But Ogunjobi failed his physical. It’s weird that we’re coming into the last stretch of this regime’s third offseason, but we still haven’t brought in a true 3Tech. I hoped that Zacch Pickens was going to be developed as one, but that didn’t seem to be the case. I wonder if they can find someone who would be an upgrade before cuts are made, and maybe target him… Read more »
Said this a few months ago as a reason to not go d line this year in the draft. There are like 4 or 5 edges that beat out edge 1 this year. There are 3-4 3T next year better than Murphy (perceived). Next draft is the trenches draft. Maybe a safety will be taken. Probably a RB. Will be a heavy line draft.
By the way Tina Gena…this article was about the DLine. Not the O line, that you have no idea how they will perform. They have new members that have never played a down for the Bears. And speaking of forward thinking…thats what Poles accomplished last year when he passed on Bryce Young and made the trade of the decade so he could get C Williams this year. If you had your way we would have Young instead of Williams and Moore and Stevenson and Darnell Wright. And we would have fired Poles for trading for Sweat. I recall you claimed… Read more »