The Chicago Bears are dealing with many players on their defense recovering from serious injuries in 2025, but one has returned to the practice field, and everyone is happy to see him there.
Mandatory OTAs for the Bears this week have seen the return of edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo to the field for the first time since his torn Achilles tendon in the Week 9 win over the Cincinnati Bengals last season. Bears head coach Ben Johnson spoke with the media as he answered a question about having Odeyingbo back practicing with the team.
"This is really a bonus for us," Johnson said via CHGO. "It's a step in the right direction for sure."
Ben Johnson is happy to see Dayo Odeyingbo back on the field
Among the big free agent signings and moves they made last offseason, Odeyingbo was arguably the most disappointing of them all after signing a three-year, $48 million contract. That disappointment stems from the fact that he had only one sack in eight games, adding just 21 tackles, four quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and one pass deflection.
Things are going to be very different for Odeyingbo in 2026, as he is not guaranteed to be the other starting edge rusher opposite Montez Sweat. That's because Austin Booker was a solid replacement for him in the second half of the season with 4.5 sacks in 10 games.
The Bears' general manager, Ryan Poles, was begged and pleaded by the fan base to go after an edge rusher to add to the room, but he decided against it. That leaves Odeyingbo under 10 times more pressure to step up and do his job.
One issue with Odeyingbo is that he has not been the type of edge rusher to rack up many sacks, with eight being his career high in 2023. In the other four years he has played in the NFL, he has produced 9.5 sacks, but he also gets a decent number of quarterback hits, with 17 each in 2023 and 2024.
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Poles is putting his reputation on the line for Odeyingbo to step up and be the guy the Bears spent a lot of money on. It's great to see him back on the field to help with the depth of the edge rusher room, but Odeyingbo must play better in 2026 for the Bears to have a shot at the Super Bowl.
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