The Chicago Bears seemed like one of the most obvious teams that would be aggressive on the edge rusher front this offseason. They need more juice from that group after a somewhat disappointing 2025. So you can imagine the surprise and disappointment that the team failed to make any significant additions between free agency and the draft. General manager Ryan Poles explained that the team still believed they could get strong production from Dayo Odeyingbo, whom they’d signed to a large contract last offseason. This was puzzling, since he hadn’t played well during the season before tearing his Achilles. What would compel defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to accept this?
Well, the answer to that is somewhat complicated. It comes down to usage. Most people think the Bears signed Odeyingbo to be the definitive pass rusher opposite Montez Sweat. That isn’t entirely true. Allen’s original plan for him was two-fold. Odeyingbo would play defensive end in running situations, using his big body and long arms to set the edge. Then he would kick inside on passing downs, where those same attributes would be a big advantage. Then someone else would handle the edge rush duties. Albert Breer of the MMQB laid this out.
Dennis Allen never got to implement that plan.
This is because Austin Booker got injured in the preseason. The former 5th round pick had established himself as the most dynamic pass rusher the Bears had besides Sweat. He was dominating training camp and looked unblockable in the preseason opener against Miami. Then he hurt his knee. This knocked him out for the first half of 2026, leaving the team without a reliable edge rusher. That meant Allen had to keep Odeyingbo out there, even though it wasn’t part of the original plan.
His lack of burst soon became an issue as opposing offenses found ways to slow him down, limiting his effectiveness. At the same time, the Bears’ interior pass rush took a hit when Grady Jarrett suffered a knee injury of his own. Just like that, the entire vision Dennis Allen had for the defensive front was out the window. He never got the chance to implement it. By the time Booker finally returned, Odeyingbo went down for the season. The Bears never got to see if that original idea could work.
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The Bears want to use this season to see if the experiment works.
In theory, it should. If healthy, Odeyingbo could end up being one of the team’s best interior pass rushers. Booker finished last season really strong, notching 4.5 sacks in his final six games. The obvious uncertainty is what sort of player the team will get when Odeyingbo returns. Achilles injuries are nasty. They take a long time to recover from, and some players are never quite the same after them. If he can, the Bears may have an avenue to make their pass rush much more effective.
If not, then the path forward seems obvious. The Bears will save $15 million in cap space by cutting Odeyingbo next offseason. Jarrett would net another $13.5 million. If there is a defensive line overhaul coming, it was always going to be in 2027. Dennis Allen seems determined to see his plan through to the end. Thus the Bears will wait things out and hope Odeyingbo starts earning his money at some point. The good news is he should be back in time for training camp.
