The Chicago Bears strengthened their defensive line room on Tuesday by signing former Colts pass rusher Dayo Odeyingbo to a three-year, $48 million deal with $32 million guaranteed during the NFL's legal tampering period.
In his fourth season in the NFL, the former second-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt finished with three sacks, 31 combined tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. According to Pro Football Focus, Odeyingbo registered 42 total pressures in 746 defensive snaps -- both career-highs for the 6-foot-6, 286-pound defensive lineman. The 25-year-old had the most sacks in his career in 2023 with eight.
The Bears needed to add a companion to play opposite Montez Sweat this upcoming season. General manager Ryan Poles accomplished that goal, but this recent signing shouldn't prevent the team from wanting to invest high draft capital in a rookie defensive lineman in the upcoming draft.
Odeyingbo won't turn 26 until Sept. 24 and still has plenty of upside. Against the Texans last season -- his highest-graded game according to PFF -- he showed great effort tracking down ball carriers, versatility to play along the entire D-line and a willingness to try different pass rush moves.
Despite the flashes Odeyingbo has displayed in his first four seasons in the NFL, consistency will be an area of his game that he will have to continue striving to obtain.
If the Bears go with just Sweat and Odeyingbo as the primary pass rushers next season, there will be plenty of pressure for the two to perform, especially since there isn't any proven depth at the position behind them.
Austin Booker will enter his second year after playing just 282 total defensive snaps last season. Dominique Robinson played in six games and totaled only 84 defensive snaps in 2024. Then there is Daniel Hardy -- a former seventh-round draft pick out of Montana State -- who played only 31 defensive snaps for the Bears.
During the NFL Scouting Combine, Poles addressed the media in Indianapolis and was asked about finding an edge rusher opposite Sweat.
“That’s a part of what we’re doing now," Poles said. "Again, it’s a big puzzle. Free agency comes first. There’s a lot of unknowns in the draft in terms of who’s going to be there for you. I’ve talked about that before. You can have philosophical beliefs in how you build a football team, how you prioritize, but the supply has to match the needs and those opportunities have to present themselves at the right time.
We’re starting to put that puzzle piece together. But what I like really about the pairing so far of free agency and the draft is I do believe that the supply of players is matching our needs, so there are going to be good opportunities.”
Poles saw Odeyingbo as that first opportunity and signed defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to improve the defense. The draft should present the Bears' brass with several other attempts to land more playmakers on the defensive line.
With the Bears' 10th overall pick, Georgia's Mykel Williams could be an option if he's still available. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge rusher had five sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles in his third season with the Bulldogs. Adding a player like him behind Sweat and Odeyingbo would create much-needed quality depth at the edge position.
The Bears also have two picks in the second round (39 and 41) that could be used on edge rushers. Regardless of how good Poles and the rest of the defensive staff feel about the defense right now, you can never have too many good pass rushers, and adding at least one more in the draft should be on Poles' to-do list.