Finally, the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books.
The Chicago Bears made seven picks on NFL Draft weekend. They also added a baker’s dozen worth of players in the initial wave of undrafted free agents. All in all, bringing 20 fresh faces into Halas Hall as part of the 2026 rookie class should help the Bears as they embark on their journey to achieve Super Bowl glory. And yet, one question remains now that the dust has settled after NFL Draft weekend.
What happened to addressing the pass rush?
Sure, the Bears kicked the tires on trading for Maxx Crosby before he ended up back with the Las Vegas Raiders. There were also rumors of Chicago’s interest in Dexter Lawrence before the New York Giants shipped him off to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick in Friday’s first round. But after sitting out the trade and free agency markets, it made it easy to believe that this front office would certainly go after some much-needed pass rush help during the NFL Draft. However, that isn’t how the cookie crumbled. And now, I’m curious to see how things will unfold for this crucial aspect of the Bears’ game.
Ben Johnson, Ryan Poles Offer an Explanation
I found these quotes from Bears General Manager Ryan Poles and Head Coach Ben Johnson telling.
Ben Johnson on not drafting any edge rushers: “We will coach better than a year ago…it’s a combination of us being able to coach better and those guys (mentioned Sweat, Booker, Dayo, Turner) taking the next step. I think we have some pretty good pieces to work with.” (via WGN’s Josh Fryman) Ryan Poles, on Saturday, regarding the pass rush: “At the defensive line position, (Austin Booker)’s coming along with Dayo (Odeyingbo), (Montez) Sweat, Shemar (Turner). We feel good about those guys. Obviously, we have one more day, so we can continue to add. But like what that group is and what they’re becoming, and we feel like there is some developmental upside, and like I said, with Year 2 in the system, we should be able to take the next step.”These explanations won’t be satisfactory for many Bears fans. And, frankly, I can’t blame anyone for not being happy with Chicago’s inability to make a splash move to upgrade the pass rush. It feels risky not to address that position group with a premium pick or even a high-upside flier. But perhaps there is a method to the front office’s madness.
Bears Are Rolling the Dice With Their Pass Rush Plan
The Bears are essentially banking on these four things to fix the defensive line’s pass-rushing woes:
1. A HEALTHY GRADY JARRETT
The good news is that the Bears have an in-house interior defensive lineman who is a strong candidate for a rebound season in 2026. The bad news? Grady Jarrett had such a poor showing in 2025 that it shouldn’t take much to meet and exceed expectations in 2026. Jarrett played 14 games and appeared on just 68 percent of the defensive snaps in the games he played last year. He finished with just 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle-for-loss, and 8 quarterback hits en route to posting a 56.7 overall grade at Pro Football Focus that ranked 76th of 134 interior defensive linemen. In a word: Yuck.
If you’re looking for a silver lining in that dark cloud, I’ve got you covered. Jarrett’s two highest-graded games at PFF came in the Bears’ Week 18 win against the Lions (79.6) and in the team’s playoff win against the Green Bay Packers (79.2) in the NFC Wild Card round. In those games, Jarrett looked like the player that the Bears thought they were signing back in March 2025. The upcoming year is a big one for Jarrett, who the Bears could cut next offseason and create $13.5 million in cap space at the cost of just a $4 million dead cap hit.
Grady Jarrett celebrates after a sack against the Lions at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images2. A MOTIVATED DAYO ODEYINGBO
Dayo Odeyingbo was chasing big dreams when he signed as a free agent in March 2025.
“The goal is to bring a Lombardi to this city,” Odeyingbo said at his introductory press conference. “That was big for me. I want to have a meaningful career. I want to leave a legacy in the NFL. I don’t want to just collect checks. I want to be a part of a winning culture and a winning organization.”
Odeyingbo disappointed in his first season in Chicago. He played just eight games, collected just one sack, two tackles-for-loss, and four quarterback hits before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. This is Odeyingbo’s second Achilles injury, which complicates his journey to get back to peak form. As far as I’m concerned, whatever Odeyingbo provides will be viewed as a pleasant surprise — like finding an onion ring in a bag of fries.
For what it’s worth, Odeyingbo checks all the boxes that Bears Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen traditionally likes in defensive linemen. Odeyingbo has size, length,n and positional versatility. But he will need to prove himself as a Year 2 player in Chicago. Otherwise, it feels noteworthy that the Bears can create $15 million in cap savings (with just a $4.5 million dead cap hit) if they part ways with Odeyingbo in 2027.
3. AUSTIN BOOKER TAKES THE NEXT STEP
Back in February, colleague Patrick K. Flowers wondered if Austin Booker was ready to take on more meaningful snaps in 2026. Now that the smoke has cleared from the two major offseason transactional periods, Booker is in a position to answer those questions with his play. Because the Bears passed on drafting an edge rusher, Booker will be in a position to prove himself to Bears coaches and front office execs during the offseason training program, training camp, and in the preseason.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesAfter missing the first eight weeks of the season because of a knee injury, Booker closed the 2025 season on a roll — highlighted by this five-game stretch at the end of the season:
3.5 sacks 6 quarterback hits 22 total tackles (11 solo) 3 tackles-for-loss Stats in two playoff games: 1 sack, 9 total tackles (3 solo), 1 tackle-for-loss, 2 quarterback hits.The Bears took a flier on Austin Booker in the 2024 NFL Draft, using a fifth-round pick on the Kansas product. That investment has paid off in spurts, with Booker flashing pass-rushing prowess while healthy. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been healthy for long enough to maximize his impact or output. Perhaps this is the year it happens.
4. SHEMAR TURNER IS HEALTHY, LIVES UP TO INTERNAL EXPECTATIONS
This quote from Bears GM Ryan Poles stuck with me, so much so that I first shared it here:
“Once he gets up and going, Shemar is a guy that I’m really excited to see have a breakout season. I had a ton of faith he was going to be on the same track as [fellow rookies] Luther [Burden], as Colston [Loveland], as Ozzy [Trapilo]; the more that he played, his impact was going to be felt more and more and I felt like we didn’t get to see that.”
Chicago’s other second-round picks (WR Luther Burden III, OL Ozzy Trapilo) made significant contributions to the Bears’ winning ways in 2025. I suppose that Turner *COULD* do the same in 2026. The vote of confidence from Poles shouldn’t go overlooked. But Turner will need to prove to be healthy first before I start believing that it *WILL* happen.
THE BN BEARS PODCAST: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
Hence then, the article about ben johnson ryan poles explain why the bears didn t draft a pass rusher was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Ben Johnson, Ryan Poles Explain Why the Bears Didn’t Draft a Pass Rusher )
Also on site :