There might be one word Chicago Bears fans might use to describe the 2026 offseason for them: underwhelming.
Sure, there were some good moves made with the signings of Coby Bryant and Devin Bush, as well as the selection of Dillon Thieneman in the 2026 NFL Draft, but Bears fans were left with so much more than they desired from the offseason. CBS Sports Writer Tyler Sullivan's offseason grade for the Bears reflects fans' feelings: he gave the team a C.
"It feels like more talent went out the door than came in this offseason for the Bears. The most notable move was trading DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, but Chicago added a plethora of receivers on the roster, and the emergence of 2025 second-rounder Luther Burden III throughout his rookie season likely gave the organization the confidence to move off Moore. The Bears used the No. 25 overall pick to add Thieneman to a safety room that saw both Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker leave in free agency."
Bears got hit with a low grade, but it is justified by Ryan Poles' offseason
General manager Ryan Poles has done a good job over the last two years of getting this Bears team competitive, as they were last season. The problem is, it feels like the Bears didn't get better, but didn't exactly get worse either.
One issue is that Poles refuses to do anything about the edge rusher room as he added zero talent there this offseason. It will be Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, and Dayo Odeyingbo again for the second straight season. That's not the worst combination in the NFL, but the Bears really needed a difference maker, and Poles did nothing about it in free agency or the draft.
Chicago also took a lot of chances in the NFL Draft, going more offense-heavy than many expected. Thieneman is the star pick of the draft, but the Bears went center Logan Jones, tight end Sam Roush, and wide receiver Zavion Thomas with the next three picks. That was a bit of an odd decision when defense needed to be the focus.
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Poles is taking a gamble that the defense will hold up just fine with the few impactful additions they made, but it might fall on the Bears' offense to step up in 2026 because this offseason didn't exactly get the job done in certain areas.
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