The Bears still have a few glaring weaknesses after free agency.
The Bears landed a few obvious starters in free agency with the pickups of Devin Bush and Coby Bryant. They also addressed the left tackle position with a handful of moves, including retaining their own free agents in Theo Benedet and Braxton Jones and taking a flier on former first-round pick Jedrick Wills.
While the left tackle position is no longer one of their most glaring needs, they still have a few significant roster holes on both sides of the ball. Which ones stand out as the most glaring?Honestly, I could've gone a few different routes with this one. The Bears are weaker at receiver right now than they were a month ago after the loss of DJ Moore. However, it would be inaccurate to say that it is a glaring weakness with Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze on the roster. They're in a similar position at corner after the loss of Nahshon Wright. However, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are two of the best players on the defensive side of the ball when healthy. All things considered, I think the edge rusher spot is a bit more of a weakness than receiver or corner. I know Montez Sweat is a good player, Austin Booker provided some juice after returning from injured reserve last year, and Dayo Odeyingbo is.. motivated. However, their pass-rush was one of the most glaring weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball last year. They desperately need to improve it, and I'd be surprised if they don't add to the room through the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.Chicago added a lot of depth to the defensive interior this offseason, but I'm not sure just how good the freshly minted Bears are. Neville Gallimore's two-year, $10 million deal indicates that he will have a role. He's more of a swing to get on base than one that will put the ball over the fence. They also added veterans Kentavius Steet and James Lynch to deals that will pay them both just north of the veteran minimum . Remember when I mentioned their pass-rush being their biggest weakness last season? That's largely because they failed to get virtually any push from the interior. Sweat and Booker routinely held their own on the edges. Simply put, Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett need to play better. Dexter surfaced as a potential trade candidate ahead of the scouting combine, but I think that was more to get a feel for what type of interest he'd generate than anything else. I imagine they would've welcomed a day two pick in return for him, but I don't think they'd get that type of value. I think he'll play out the final year of his rookie deal and, barring a surprising year-four breakout, hit the market next offseason. The room might've gotten more crowded through free agency,The Bears still need to add another starting safety. I can't imagine newly-signed Cam Lewis is the answer opposite Coby Bryant there. In fact, with a handful of safeties signing for relatively cheap , I'd go as far as to say that they always planned to draft a starter there in this year's draft. Dennis Allen has always preferred versatile safeties who aren't funneled into the typical strong or free safety roles . They should be able to land a player who fits that billing through the first three rounds. If they prioritize doing so in the first round with one of the top three safeties in the class, Caleb Downs, Dillon Thieneman, or Emmanuel-McNeill Warren, then they might even have one of the league's best secondaries .JERRY MARKARIAN Jerry Markarian has been an avid Chicago Bears fan since 2010 and has been writing about the team since 2022. He has survived the 2010 NFC Championship Game, a career-ending injury to his favorite player , the Bears' 2013 season finale, a Double Doink, Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and Weeks 8-17 of the 2024 NFL season. Nevertheless, he still Bears Down!
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