The Chicago Bears feel good about what they accomplished this 2026 offseason. Dennis Allen got some reinforcements on defense with big-ticket free agent Coby White and 1st round pick Dillon Thieneman. They gave the offensive line a boost with the trade for Garrett Bradbury and drafting Logan Jones in the 2nd round. Pretty much every concern was addressed in some fashion. Unfortunately, one was not. Many feel the Bears made a big mistake by not investing in the defensive line. They added only rotational backups at defensive tackle and no edge rushers at all. It was a baffling decision after the team finished with just 35 sacks.
General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson insist things should improve in 2026 through a mixture of getting key guys healthy and better coaching from Allen and his staff. The problem is that this explanation might’ve worked if Bears fans hadn’t already heard it. Something similar was fed to them going into the 1996 season as well.
Chicago went 9-7 in 1995, riding a top-10 offense. Sadly, they missed the playoffs, ranking 19th in the league in large part because they had just 34 sacks. It was hoped the team would go hunting for another pass rusher in the 1996 offseason. Instead, they focused on helping the offense in free agency while drafting a cornerback in the 1st round and a wide receiver in the 2nd. Their defensive front remained almost identical.
1995 Chicago Bears Defensive Line
- Jim Flanigan (DT)
- Alonzo Spellman (DE)
- Albert Fontenot (DE)
- John Thierry (DE)
- Chris Zorich (DT)
1996 Defensive Line
- Jim Flanigan (DT)
- Albert Fontenot (DE)
- Alonzo Spellman (DE)
- Carl Simpson (DT)*
- John Thierry (DE)
*Zorich tore his ACL before the season. He had 1 sack the previous year.
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Would it surprise you to learn that the pass rush didn’t get better in the ’96 season? The Bears finished with 30 sacks. What is worse, the offense took a big step back due to injuries, ranking 21st. Chicago went 7-9, ending what many felt was a notable window of opportunity. What makes it sting even more is that they had chances to get help. Five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Leslie O’Neal was available as a free agent that offseason. The same was true for future Hall of Famer Chris Doleman.
O’Neal had seven sacks that season, and Doleman had 11.
As for the draft, they could’ve taken Duane Clemons (49.5 career sacks) in the 1st round or Lance Johnstone (72 career sacks) in the 2nd round. This is not a case where the Bears were just unlucky. They had more than enough money and draft capital to take a swing and chose to pass. Sure enough, they paid the price for it. Now it feels like the franchise is making the same mistake again.
This entire fiasco started last offseason.
The Chicago Bears had a salary cap to spend and came out aggressively in free agency. It was how they allocated those resources that became the huge issue. Their two big swings were for Dayo Odeyingbo, a middle-of-the-road defensive end from Indianapolis, and Grady Jarrett, a former Pro Bowl defensive tackle past his prime. Collectively, those two count $39.4 million against the salary cap in 2026. As Robert Mays said on The Athletic Football Show, the Bears are paying for their sins from last year.
Still, that doesn’t excuse the team from at least trying to find some help in the draft. They had four picks in the first three rounds. Only one of them went to the defense (Thieneman), while the other three were a center, a tight end, and a wide receiver. For all the talk about best player available, it’s hard to imagine they couldn’t have taken a calculated risk on one of the edge rushers during that sequence. It was a deep class with plenty of talent. Their stubborn unwillingness to do so could result in a repeat of 1996.
