Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was busy in the first week of free agency, but made a lot of quiet moves that no one is talking about.
Outside the safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush signings, Poles made additional moves that helped add the depth the roster needed. The Bears were already solid with their starting lineup, but Bryant and Bush aren't enough to really move the needle on considering Chicago as a Super Bowl contender.
While those signings were solid for the Bears, there is one that, on paper, doesn't look impactful, and the stats might tell a different story. Under the circumstances of what the Bears have been through this offseason, this one move was a really solid one for Chicago.
Cam Lewis might end up making more of an impact for Bears in 2026
During his six-year and 76-game career, Lewis has racked up 166 tackles, 11 pass deflections, five tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and one interception. He was an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills in 2020 and has been with the team since.
The Bears locked in Lewis for the next two years to give the defense some much-needed depth in the secondary. Chicago has already lost five players from the unit, including Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Nahshon Wright, and Jonathan Owens. They did re-sign Jaylon Jones to the team.
Chicago is going to lean heavily on Lewis to step up, and could potentially see him either playing slot or safety. There has been speculation that Kyler Gordon could move from nickel corner to safety after Byard and Brisker in free agency.
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A plan is needed, and Lewis could factor into that more than Bears fans thought. How Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen handles the secondary will be interesting to see after this was the 22nd-ranked pass defense in the NFL last year, with 227.2 yards per game.