One thing about the Chicago Bears' defensive line is that they have plenty of guys in the room.
At defensive tackle, the Bears made a ton of changes, with an almost entirely new group there. Currently, Jarrett is the only returning defensive tackle from last year's team. If Shemar Turner is considered a defensive tackle, then he would be another one too, but some consider him a defensive tackle.
Chicago did have Gervon Dexter Sr. there, who was their top pass-rushing defensive tackle. Right before finalizing the 53-man roster, the Bears decided to trade Dexter to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Bears also have rookie sensation Jordan van den Berg, Kentavius Street, Neville Gallimore, Jayden Loving, and James Lynch. That should mean the Bears are deep at defensive tackle with all those guys, right? Maybe not 100%.
Bears' defensive tackle position might still be a concern for the team entering 2026
Remember, Jarrett is coming off one of the worst seasons of his NFL career, dealing with an injury and struggling to make any impact. There's no guarantee he's going to turn the switch on.
The buzz around van den Berg is hard to ignore, as it feels like he is about to shock the NFL world with his play. Still, caution is warranted: he is a rookie and hasn't faced other top offensive linemen, despite strong competition within the Bears.
As for the rest of the defensive tackles, it is a crapshoot who will be good for the Bears. Street has recently gotten a lot of hype around him from Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, so he might make an impact. Loving is an undrafted rookie who has gotten praised by head coach Ben Johnson in recent weeks.
Gallimore feels like a veteran who could be a solid depth player, but that's about it. There really wasn't much out of training camp as to how he was doing on the field. Some mystery hovers around Gallimore entering 2026.
The Bears have done a great job giving encouraging updates and analysis on this defensive tackle room, but the reality is: if these veterans were so great, why didn't they stick with their teams? If the rookies were great, how did so many NFL teams miss them?
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It's okay to be excited about the group, but this was a unit ranked 27th in stopping the run, and the defense had only 35 sacks in 17 games last year. Hopefully some new faces will help, but there is too much uncertainty to feel like the Bears are 100% in a better spot on the defensive line in 2026.
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