When discussing the Chicago Bears’ 2026 draft plans, most agree that the primary focus will be on the defense. Left tackle is the only position the team has to worry about offensively. Meanwhile, they have several unanswered questions on the defensive side. Both starting safeties will be free agents this year. Tremaine Edmudns was just granted permission to seek a trade. That basically means he’ll get cut if his agents can’t find a taker. Then you have the defensive line. Andrew Billings is a free agent. Dayo Odeyingbo is recovering from an Achilles tear. Dennis Allen needs help on that side of the ball.

The Bears’ defensive coordinator is certain to have a strong voice in the evaluation process. It’s his unit after all. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson will receive his input on types of players he’d prefer at every position, then adjust their draft board accordingly. Here is where things get complicated. Quinten Krzysko of On Tap Sports pointed out something noteworthy. If you follow Allen’s long career as a defensive coordinator and head coach, he tends to build his defensive lines a specific way.

This has led to a rather unique quirk regarding defensive tackles his teams have drafted over the past 15 years.

Dennis Allen is very particular with his defensive tackles.

The data backs up what Krzysko says. Since 2012, every defensive tackle taken in the first three rounds of the draft, while Allen ran the unit, was under 300 lbs. They were known for their athleticism, quickness, and violence. The one correction is that technically the picks don’t go over 300 lbs until the 4th round, not the 6th. Still, the point is pretty clear. Allen doesn’t think it’s necessary to target bigger defensive tackles early in the draft. You have favorable odds of landing one later on.

It isn’t a coincidence that Allen’s best defensive unit of his career, the 2020 Saints, finished in the top five in total interior pressures. The combination of David Onyemata and Sheldon Rankins created havoc in the middle. Unfortunately, Rankins left after that season, and the defense took a dip. It’s becoming clear why the Bears pursued Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency. Both fit the exact types of players that Allen built that Saints defense with. One should expect that plan to continue in this draft.

The Bears face a problem in this regard.

Knowing this information, it’s only natural to look at the 2026 draft class and seek out the top defensive tackles who come in at 300 lbs or less. There is one problem. None of the top options in the draft currently fit those criteria. When looking at all five of the names expected to be in the mix for the 1st round this year, three of them are over 320. That leaves Peter Woods of Clemson (listed at 298). As of now, he is the only one who fits the criteria. Christen Miller of Georgia, originally listed at 305, came in at 321 at the combine.

This could mean one of two things. The first possibility is that Dennis Allen might have to compromise on his standards by a few pounds. It isn’t crazy to think he could get one of those guys to shed some weight, slimming them down to gain some quickness. If not, then the Bears may have to wait on finding that defensive tackle until day two, when guys like Grace Halton come into play. It is an interesting dilemma for the Bears to sort through, and much depends on if they think dropping weight might negatively impact Woods’s games.

The Gervon Dexter situation makes this even more interesting.

Word came out on Thursday that teams are calling the Bears about the 24-year-old defensive tackle. It makes some sense. He’s coming off a career-best six sacks, but has just one year left on his contract and isn’t a great fit for the scheme Dennis Allen runs. With so much money already invested on the line, it is unlikely the team will want to pay him. That leaves them with two options. They either trade Gervon Dexter now or let him play out his contract and leave as a free agent in 2027, likely netting them a future compensatory pick.

If they go the former route, it makes defensive tackle in the 1st round a virtual certainty. That creates a problem. If Peter Woods goes before the 25th pick, which is a strong possibility, none of the remaining options meet Allen’s criteria for the position. That means they’d have to draft somebody out of his comfort zone or reach for somebody who would not be considered 1st round material. Neither of those options feel like the proper way to build a roster.

Former Chicago Bear Rashied Davis recently sat down on the Untold Chicago Stories show and delivered one of the most raw, emotional, and real accounts of his life that Bears fans—and anyone who’s ever faced real adversity—have ever heard. Growing up in the tough streets of West Los Angeles (often tied to the broader South Central area in stories of his era), Rashied’s childhood was defined by constant danger, violence, and loss. His father was tragically murdered when he was just eight years old, shot at a fast-food restaurant in a senseless act of gang-related violence. Raised as one of nine children by his mother and aunt, Rashied navigated a world filled with gang activity—Crypts vs. Bloods rivalries, drugs everywhere, and the kind of negativity that swallowed up so many around him.

He recalls dodging bullets in his own home, idolizing gang members early on because they seemed to have the power and possessions he thought represented success. “Boys in the Hood” wasn’t just a movie to him; it mirrored the gang-ridden, drug-infested reality he lived. School wasn’t easy either—he was bused over an hour each way to Kennedy High in the San Fernando Valley because his mom insisted on a better education and environment, away from the neighborhood’s pull. At first, he resisted, but that decision became a lifeline.

Football didn’t come until later. Too small in high school (around 5 feet and 90 pounds early on), he didn’t play much until college at San Jose State. There, he found his escape and purpose. Football became the outlet that channeled his energy and talent, while education opened doors he never imagined. After college, he grinded through the Arena Football League for years before breaking into the NFL with the Chicago Bears in 2005—first as a cornerback, then converting to wide receiver. He earned his spot through sheer determination, becoming a reliable weapon (especially on third downs) and even playing in the Super Bowl XLIII run.

But the emotional depth Rashied brought went beyond the gridiron highlights. He shared the untold turning point that symbolized his shift to true independence: opening his first bank account. Coming from a background where money was scarce and survival was day-to-day, that simple act—learning to manage finances, deposit checks, and build security—was life-changing. It marked financial independence, a stark contrast to the instability of his youth. He reflected on how many athletes struggle post-career without that foundation, but for him, it was the foundation of freedom after escaping the streets.

Rashied’s story isn’t just about making it to the NFL; it’s about resilience, faith, and hope breaking through darkness. He credits God for giving him that spark of hope when gang life seemed like the only path. Today, he gives back to communities by drawing on his experiences to mentor and inspire. His Untold Chicago Stories appearance captures the grind, the sacrifices, and the emotional insight fans rarely see—proving that adversity doesn’t define you; how you rise above it does.

Rashied’s commitment to giving back didn’t stop with his NFL career. In 2010, he and his wife, Dianna, founded Saturday Place, a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides free Saturday tutoring, literacy, character education, and field trips for 3rd and 4th-graders struggling academically in under-resourced public schools. Born from his own West LA struggles and the hope that pulled him out, Saturday Place embodies his mission: helping kids overcome obstacles through inspiration, preparation, and discipline—just as he did to reach Soldier Field and beyond.

“Our mission statement is to teach children how to overcome obstacles to success through inspiration, preparation and discipline.” — Rashied Davis

This is the kind of powerful, heartfelt tale that reminds us why sports stories matter: they show real people overcoming impossible odds. Rashied Davis didn’t just play for the Bears—he lived a journey that inspires everyone still fighting their own battles.

Watch the full Untold Chicago episode to hear Shied’s raw, honest stories about earning respect inside the locker room, the pressure of performing at Soldier Field, and what it truly means to wear the Bears uniform.

Lovie Smith said his first goal upon taking over as the Chicago Bears‘ head coach was to beat Green Bay. It was an acknowledgement that the rivalry meant a lot, not just to the fans but also to his team’s actual fate. The Packers had owned the rivalry for a decade at that point. He needed to turn things around if the Bears wanted to reach the mountaintop. It seems Ben Johnson saw that playbook when he arrived last January and decided to crank everything in it up to 11.

He made his disdain for the Packers and their head coach, Matt LaFleur, plain as day from the opening press conference. In the following months, nothing changed. His handshakes after games against them were brief and icy. The pressers leading up to them were in no way meant to be classy or respectful. Then, to culminate everything, he screamed, “F**k the Packers!” in the post-game locker room after beating them in the wild card round.

Johnson doesn’t like them. In fact, his first words when asked about the rivalry by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk during an interview on Tuesday said it all.

“Who likes the Packers?”

Ben Johnson isn’t in this business to make friends.

He wants to win. It’s a competition and the object of it is to be the best. From his perspective, the Packers have been the biggest obstacle to achieving that goal since he joined the NFC North in 2019. They dominated the rivalry with the Detroit Lions during those first few years, looking to rub it in at every opportunity. One can understand why Johnson developed a deep-rooted hatred for them. Taking over the helm of their greatest rival felt like the perfect opportunity to twist the knife in the most agonizing ways.

Now here he is, 2-1 against them and claiming a playoff victory that featured one of the greatest comebacks in modern NFL history. Ben Johnson does not care if Packer fans hate him. That would have been the case whether he was calm and composed in his comments or not. Better to lean into the rivalry and make his actual feelings clear. By making himself such an obvious lightning rod, he takes the focus off his team, who are free to put all their effort into doing what he actually wants: winning.

Johnson doesn’t see them as the big, bad troll under the bridge.

He sees them as an obstacle to bigger goals. When Rex Ryan arrived in New York in 2009, he said he wasn’t there to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings. Ben Johnson is much the same way. His job isn’t to be friendly with Lafleur like Matt Eberflus was. It is to kick the living hell out of him. He didn’t enter this business to make friends. He wants to compete and win football games. No team has done more to harm the Bears’ opportunities for that in the past three decades than the Packers.

It only makes sense that Johnson would see them as the first problem to fix. A great way to unsettle a king is by forcing him to make decisions based on emotion. By getting under the skin of the Packers, he got them to focus more on beating up the Bears than winning games. It is a strategy that has worked wonders in the past. So it was no surprise he kept needling them in that interview. The more riled up he can make Green Bay, the better it is for the Bears.