The Chicago Bears emerged as one of the NFL’s best teams in 2025, coming within one play of the NFC Championship.
While it was an exciting season for the Bears, the hope is that this is just the start of something special for the team. For that to be the case, Chicago has to attack the offseason to build an even better team in 2026.
To have a great offseason, the team must first identify its biggest problem areas. NFL reporter Ralph Vacchiano did just that for the Bears in a recent FOX Sports piece, identifying the biggest question facing each NFC team this offseason. For Chicago, the question was simple: Will the Bears get some help for edge rusher Montez Sweat?
Finding edge rush help could be the key to the Bears contending for a Super Bowl
Vacchiano acknowledged that 2025 was fun for Chicago because of the team’s flair for the dramatics and numerous comeback victories, but says life would be much easier for the team if it didn’t consistently fall behind. With the offense moving in the right direction, Vacchiano believes the next step for the Bears is investing in the defense — specifically the defensive front.
"[The Bears] have a dynamic and electric offense and a quarterback coming into his own, but they had one of the worst defenses in the league. That could change if they could find someone other than Sweat to disrupt opposing quarterbacks and give the pass rush a little teeth. Sweat had 10 of the Bears’ 35 sacks. They’ve got to find someone to complement him."Ralph Vacchiano (FOX Sports)
This has quickly become the consensus take in Chicago. Franchise legend Brian Urlacher has already expressed that the team needs to be better defensively, echoing what everyone saw during the season, and fans have spent their time fantasizing about a trade for Maxx Crosby.
Read more: Caleb Williams and Maxx Crosby are once again making Bears fans think about a trade
Whether it’s Crosby or someone else, Chicago needs to spend the offseason aggressively pursuing an upgrade at edge. Sweat has been doing his part, but he alone isn’t enough. While Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams will surely keep making fun, explosive highlights that get everyone talking, winning championships is still about defense. That’s why the Bears need to upgrade that unit to take the next step.