There are three painfully obvious needs Bears still have after free agency started

The Chicago Bears have addressed most of their needs, but the team is not quite done filling its roster holes. Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus went through all of the biggest needs across the NFC landscape and came up with three clear holes for the Bears.

Wasserman notes that the defensive line, safety, and center are the areas the Bears need to improve in the draft.

"Chicago’s chances to compete for a championship rest on its ability to improve its defense, particularly down the middle. The Bears are off to a good start with the signings of linebacker Devin Bush and safety Coby Bryant, but they will need to bring in additional depth at those two positions, as well as on the defensive line. Drew Dalman’s sudden retirement removes 2025's eighth-highest-graded center (72.6) from the Bears' line and leaves the team without a long-term solution at center. Chicago added ex-Patriot Garrett Bradbury via trade, but he has rarely played far above a replacement level. The team could select its future center on Day 2 of the draft while Bradbury serves as a bridge player in 2026."

What are the Chicago Bears' biggest needs?

This is about right. The defensive line being a need has been the story of the Bears since Ryan Poles was hired. He did trade for Montez Sweat, but he has not been able to find enough next to him to get the most out of him.

They apparently are not too high on Gervon Dexter, and the rest of their interior defensive line is either aging or unproven. Then, on the edges, they are leaning heavily on Dayo Odeyingbo, coming back from his Achilles injury and not missing a beat. Those are high hopes.

It is fair to think that the Bears may draft up and down the defensive line this offseason. At safety, they added Coby Bryant, but lost Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard. Cam Lewis is a great depth piece and can even play some dime, but this is not who they want to start at safety. It is clear that they will want to address this; the question is when?

Center can be a little more debatable. Yes, they lost Drew Dahlman, but they did replace him with Garrett Bradbury. Bradbury is solid to start this year, but they should still be looking to upgrade. The New England Patriots just did this. They added Bradbury and drafted a player who started at guard but will now shift to center, prompting the Patriots to move off Bradbury.

Bradbury is a good stopgap, but he should be there to bridge you to your next center, not fill the need.

If the Bears can find answers at those spots in the 2026 NFL Draft, they are going to be viewed as one of the most complete teams in the NFL.