Free agency came, free agency went. The draft came, the draft went. And yet, here we are.
I’ve been pretty consistent with what I’ve been saying since late last season: the Bears have a defensive line problem.
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Before I dive too far into this column, just one thing that I should note: the bar for success has changed.
For years, we all had the same goal: for the Bears to be good. We wanted meaningful games in December. We wanted the Bears to play extra games in January.
2025 came, and we all got our wishes.
Now, Bears fans can fall into two groups for the 2026 season. You can still ride the high and be happy that the Bears have Ben Johnson and they have Caleb Williams, and the future is bright.
If that’s your stance, I do not fault you, but this column isn’t for you.
If you are in the other group, where the bar for success has changed, the Bears accomplished their goal to be good and relevant. They accomplished the goal of finding the right head coach and the right quarterback. The next goal is a Super Bowl championship.
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When we measure the success of the Bears and how the roster is built, I am looking at them as a Super Bowl contender, and if there are issues with the roster that would prevent them from that, I will take issue with it.
For some of you, you may roll your eyes, you may want to enjoy what the Bears have finally accomplished, and if they go 11-6 and get bounced in the playoffs again next year, that’s a-ok in your book.
But for me, I’m looking at this team compared to other Super Bowl contenders, and here’s what I know: The Chicago Bears’ defensive line isn’t good enough to win a Super Bowl.
Without question, the Bears’ defensive line is the worst unit on the team, and after free agency and the draft, the Bears basically have done nothing to improve the unit.
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Sure, Dennis Allen can get creative with some twists, Dennis Allen can blitz from the secondary, but to win games in January and February, you need to be able to get pressure with four guys. The Bears don’t have the personnel to do that.
What’s frustrating is that the Bears didn’t even try to make that improvement.
I said the Bears needed to improve the defensive line at the end of the season, and many of you said, “Obviously.”
I said the Bears had a bad plan in free agency without addressing the defensive line. Many of you said, “The draft hasn’t even happened yet.”
What are many of you saying now?
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Look, I know the Bears could still sign someone like Cam Jordan and give their defensive line a boost, and at this point, I don’t know how the Bears don’t do that.
Not only have the Bears not addressed the D line for this season, but they’ve also put themselves in a situation where they will need a brand new line in 2027 on the heels of paying Caleb Williams $200 million guaranteed.
The Bears DL in 2027 will quite possibly be Montez Sweat on the final year of his deal, Austin Booker on the final year of his deal, Daniel Hardy on the final year of his deal, Neville Gallimore on the final year of his deal, Shemar Turner, and Jordan van den Berg.
Most likely, the Bears will not re-sign Gervon Dexter, and they will most likely release Dayo Odeyingobo and Grady Jarrett. The Bears did nothing this season to start building their line for the future in 2027 and into future years.
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Not only is the Bears’ defensive line a weakness this year, but it’s almost certainly going to be a weakness next year as well.
I can see the comment section already, “Typical Zimmerman,” “What is with this sky is falling nonsense.”
As I said, I’m in this for Lombardi Trophies. If you are along for the ride, find a different column to read.
The Bears’ defensive line will prevent the Bears from being a true Super Bowl contender this year, and highly likely to prevent them from being a true Super Bowl contender in 2027.
Guess what happens in 2028? Caleb Williams’ salary begins to soar. Sure, the Bears can offset that by spending additional cash, converting salaries to bonuses, and opening up cap space. Do you trust George McCaskey to do that? It’s one thing to open up $5 to $10 million in additional cash spending. It’s another thing to open up $50 to $60 million. That’s a big ask for an owner. If George wants to play with the big boys, that’s what he needs to start doing; it remains to be seen if he will.
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You can love the Dillon Thieneman pick (and I do). You can have confidence in Logan Jones (and I do). You can praise the day three selections of the Bears (and I do). But how this team spent an entire offseason with that defensive line from 2025, and basically all we see different is Neville Gallimore and Jordan van den Berg.
That ain’t gonna cut it.
We will see if Ryan Poles has an ace up his sleeve, but the Bears don’t have a lot of options left.
The Bears have a bright future. The Bears have Ben and Caleb. The Bears are on the right track. All those things are true, but that’s what everyone was saying about the Cincinnati Bengals a few years ago, and now all they are is a team that consistently wins 9 games and gets bounced in the playoffs because they didn’t address their defense, and their owner doesn’t spend large amounts of additional cash. Ben Johnson is far better than Zac Taylor, but the point remains: the Bengals are a limited team.
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The Bears should have a great offense. If Jaylon Johnson returns to form, the Bears could have a good back seven on defense. But up front? Woof.
One day, I hope this column is shared back in my face while scores of Bears fans call me a chump. That’s the outcome we all want. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening. Neglecting the defensive line this offseason will cost the Bears not only in 2026, but 2027 as well.
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