Heading into last month's draft, the consensus said the Chicago Bears needed to add defensive line help. Well, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson weren't necessarily part of that consensus, with zero edge rushers drafted and a defensive tackle not selected until the sixth round.
After the draft, Johnson made it clear he felt the Bears have all the edge rushers they need. The continued development of Austin Booker, the return of Dayo Odeyingbo from injury, and Shemar Turner showing the promise that made him a second-round pick last year are seen as enough opposite Montez Sweat.
"We will coach better than a year ago...it's a combination of us being able to coach better and those guys taking the next step. I think we have some pretty good pieces to work with."
During his press conference at rookie minicamp, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen took the blame for last season's pass rush woes.
"We had a lot of discussions this offseason about a lot of different things, and one of the things we identified was me", Allen said. 'We focused so much on installing all the scheme last year because it was brand new, and we do have a high volume of things we carry in the defense. We focused so much on that that we lost sight of some of the fundamentals and techniques that it takes to function, to do those things. I don’t think we were as fundamentally sound defensively as we need to be. So how do we have to coach it better? Well, let’s minimize how much we’re focused on the scheme, OK, and let’s focus on not what we’re gonna do but how we’re gonna do it. I think that’s how we’re gonna improve."
So, essentially, now that Allen knows the ingredients he has and those ingredients know him/his defensive scheme better, he feels pass rush improvement will be natural. His comments acknowledged where he had shortcomings last season, while also serving as a reminder that he has to work with what he has unless the publicly stated plan goes awry.
Bears insider offers fairly dismal (and appropriate?) analogy for defensive line situation
On a recent episode of the "Take The North" podcast, Dan Wiederer of The Athletic and fill-in co-host Adam Studzinski talked about the Bears' defensive line.
Both acknowledged that the Bears will try to make it work with what they have on the defensive front. Then Wiederer offered a relatable, somewhat dismal, and a little bit sobering analogy.
"It's like you need dinner certain nights, and you're like, 'ok, 'what's in the fridge'?", Wiederer said. "And you open the fridge and there's not much there, and you're like 'alright, this is what we got'...we're gonna figure whether this is PBJ or this is this half-portion of leftovers over here, or what. Whatever it is, maybe it's a string cheese and an apple. Sometimes you just gotta make the best of what's in there, and that's what the Bears are going to do as they head into a 2026 season that's gonna be challenging."
If the Bears are going to add anyone to their defensive line, especially an edge rusher, it likely won't be until at least around the start of training camp. Even then, it's a huge 'if' that means something did not go as planned up to that point.
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So Allen, barring something unforeseen, is going to have to make a pass rush meal with the ingredients that already exist here in May. Time will tell if it's string cheese and an apple, or something way more fulfilling.
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