When we started this series back on March 2nd, the Bears had approximately $4 million in cap space and a roster full of question marks. The safety room was empty. The linebacker corps was built around a player who was about to be released. The left tackle situation was a mess. And the edge rusher position—the one this series has hammered on louder than any other—had no real answer in sight.
Then Ryan Poles went to work.
In the span of one week, the Bears traded DJ Moore to Buffalo, released Tremaine Edmunds, processed Drew Dalman's retirement, and created roughly $44 million in new cap space—climbing to approximately $33 million in room, 12th in the NFL per Over The Cap. Then, on the first day of legal tampering, they spent it. Not with the kind of splashy, marquee signing that dominates the back pages, but with the kind of purposeful, coordinator-driven spending that reflects exactly who Dennis Allen is and what he wants his defense to look like. Speed. Versatility. Value.
The first wave is over. The grades are in. And now it's time to close out this series with the position that was always going to be the final piece of the puzzle: linebacker and secondary depth. Except the puzzle is messier than planned—because some of what this series forecast as needs got addressed before it could be written, some of it is still unsolved, and one position looms larger now than it did when the series started.
About This Series
With free agency officially open and the NFL Draft set for late April in Pittsburgh, the Bears' offseason is moving fast. Over the past week, we've broken down each of Chicago's biggest positional needs heading into this critical stretch. When we planned Part 5, it was going to cover linebacker and secondary depth—the Edmunds fallout and what would come next. Then yesterday happened. The Bears signed four players, re-signed two more, and restructured the roster so quickly that a straightforward linebacker preview felt incomplete. Secondary depth is still a real conversation, and we'll get there. But the first wave of free agency warranted a fresh look at where things actually stand. Here's the full series:
Part 1: Safety — Zero safeties under contract. The most urgent hole on the roster.
Part 2: Defensive Tackle — Poles is targeting speed and violence up front. The Combine confirmed it.
Part 3: Edge Rusher — Montez Sweat needs a running mate. The cap said it wouldn't be Maxx Crosby.
Part 3.5: Center — Drew Dalman's shocking retirement blew a hole in the NFL's best O-line.
Part 4: Left Tackle — Caleb Williams' blindside is wide open, and bridge tackles don't come cheap.
Part 5: Free Agency Report Card (today) — The defense got faster. Here's what changed, what didn't, and what's left.
The Edmunds Exit — and Why It Had to Happen
To understand what the Bears have built over the past 36 hours, you have to start with the player they let go. Tremaine Edmunds was a solid linebacker. Not a great one, but a reliable, veteran presence who started 62 games for Chicago after signing a four-year, $72 million deal in 2023. He earned his money in Year 1, played adequately in Year 2, and by Year 3 under Dennis Allen's defense, the fit between his skill set and what the scheme demanded had simply worn thin. By the time the Bears moved on, Edmunds was 27 years old, due $17.4 million, and a linebacker on a roster that was increasingly being asked to play fast in space—something that was never his calling card.
The decision wasn't personal. It was mathematical. Ryan Poles said at the Combine that his priority was improving the team's defensive speed, and Edmunds was the most expensive symbol of where that speed had stalled. Releasing him saved $15 million in cap space against $2.44 million in dead money—a clean, efficient reset of a position that needed one. Edmunds landed with the Giants on a three-year, $36 million deal. That's more than fair for who he is. It was just no longer fair for what the Bears were trying to become.
The linebacker room that existed before all of this had one bankable piece: T.J. Edwards, the green-dot MIKE who has started every game he's played since arriving in Chicago and is one of the better run-stopping linebackers in football. Behind Edwards: Noah Sewell (torn Achilles, timeline unclear), Ruben Hyppolite II (seven games, mostly special teams), and a question mark at the second starting spot. The Bears needed a starter. They went out and found a very good one.
The New Linebacker Room
Devin Bush's three-year, $30 million contract is the kind of signing that looks inexplicable until you understand what Dennis Allen is actually building. Bush ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL Combine—the same combine that clocked Tremaine Edmunds somewhere in the 5.3-5.4 range. That gap, roughly a full second over 40 yards, is exactly the kind of speed upgrade Poles was describing when he stood at the podium in Indianapolis and talked about improving defensive speed. It is not a small difference. It is the difference between a linebacker who can run with tight ends and one who cannot.
Bush's résumé is more complicated than his athleticism. He was the 10th overall pick in 2019 out of Michigan, spent his first three seasons in Pittsburgh plagued by injury and inconsistency, bounced to Seattle and then Cleveland on one-year prove-it deals, and quietly put together the best season of his career in 2025. Starting all 17 games for the Browns, Bush recorded 125 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 8 passes defensed. Only two linebackers had multiple interceptions returned for touchdowns in 2025, and Bush was one of them. His 97-yard pick-six in Week 18—measured at 20.23 miles per hour by ESPN tracking, the fastest play of any kind by any player that week—was the visual embodiment of why the Bears targeted him. Pro Football Focus ranked him the 10th-best run-defending linebacker in football last season. He was, by nearly every meaningful measure, the best available linebacker on the market.
The knock has always been his coverage. Bush's 2019 knee injury cost him lateral quickness he has never fully recaptured, and there were stretches of 2023 and 2024 where he was genuinely exploitable in space. The 2025 tape suggests that issue has improved—his three interceptions all came in zone coverage, and he generated 8 passes defensed on only 39 targets. Whether that represents genuine growth or a favorable scheme fit in Cleveland remains to be seen. What is clear is that at $10 million per year with backloaded structure, the Bears got one of the better linebackers available without crippling their cap flexibility. That's good roster building.
The other linebacker piece is quieter but just as important. D'Marco Jackson's two-year, $7.5 million re-signing (up to $10.5 million with incentives) keeps in place one of the more underrated stories of the 2025 Bears season. Jackson was a waiver claim from New Orleans at the end of 2024 training camp—a player Dennis Allen knew personally, trusted with installation reps, and deployed as a depth linebacker. He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week twice while filling in for the injured Edmunds. He's now played for Allen in both New Orleans and Chicago, and that system familiarity matters more than the price tag suggests. Allen's defense typically deploys two off-ball linebackers rather than the traditional three-man grouping, and with T.J. Edwards still recovering from a fractured fibula, Jackson steps into a starting role that could last most of the year. He provides the kind of reliable, scheme-fluent production that keeps the linebacker room functional while Edwards works his way back—and genuine depth once he does.
The Safety Picture — One Down, One More Needed
When we wrote Part 1 of this series, both Bears safeties were free agents, there was zero money committed at the position, and it was the single most urgent hole on the roster. The Bears have partially solved it. Partially.
Coby Bryant's three-year, $40 million deal is the clearest expression of what Dennis Allen wants in a defensive back. Bryant isn't a traditional safety—he's a converted slot cornerback, a player Allen compared to C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who started on two different Allen-coached defenses and made two Pro Bowls playing in this exact role. Bryant led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl LX championship this past February, starting 15 regular-season games and recording 66 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 1 forced fumble. He's 26 years old. He fits the scheme like a glove. And at $40 million over three years—with only a $5.96 million cap hit in 2026 thanks to heavy backloading—the Bears got legitimate value on a player who would have commanded significantly more in a straight-line deal.
What makes Bryant worth the money isn't just his production. It's his versatility. Allen's defense deploys safeties as quasi-cornerbacks on passing downs—mixing and matching coverage responsibilities, blitzing from multiple alignments, disguising pre-snap looks. Bryant did all of that in Seattle, and the package of skills that made him a fit there makes him an even better fit here, where he'll be asked to play next to a second safety who provides whatever Bryant doesn't. The question is: who is that second safety?
As of this writing, both Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker remain unsigned—and both doors are still technically open. That's a more fluid situation than the early Day 1 reporting suggested, when multiple outlets characterized the Byard deal as close and Brisker as all but gone. Neither of those things has happened yet.
Kevin Byard is the preferred outcome. The 32-year-old led the NFL with 7 interceptions in 2025, earned First-Team All-Pro honors for the second time in his career, and served as one of the team's most trusted captains all season. He's a veteran who already knows Allen's system, communicates the coverage, and provides exactly the veteran ballhawk presence Bryant's youth needs alongside it. AtoZ Sports projected his market at roughly $10 million per year—affordable given the Bears' heavily backloaded cap structure. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported before tampering opened that the Bears would attempt to re-sign Byard but let Brisker walk. That calculus may not have changed. But no deal is done.
Jaquan Brisker is the wildcard. The Ringer ranked him the 35th-best free agent overall on their March 9 list and projected his market at $12-14 million per year—more than the Bears are likely willing to spend given Byard's availability at lower cost. The Ringer noted explicitly that Chicago "could get priced out," and that concern appears legitimate. Brisker's breakout 2025 campaign—he blitzed more than three times as often as in any previous season under Allen's aggressive scheme—earned him a market the Bears may not be able to match while also fitting their cap structure around everything else they need. If he leaves, it will be because another team convinced him that his breakout year was a launching point, not a ceiling. That may well happen.
If both walk—the nightmare scenario—the Bears have options. Draft prospects like Dillon Thieneman and Caleb Downs are legitimate Day 2 targets with starting upside. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who has played for Allen in New Orleans and literally helped design the Byard/Bryant archetype the Bears are now building, remains a free agent. The room won't be empty. But re-signing Byard is clearly the cleanest outcome, and the longer it goes without being finalized, the more nerve-racking it becomes.
Everything Else: Bridges, Stopgaps, and One Good Story
The Bears' other positional moves this week were characterized by a consistent philosophy: find a serviceable solution at a reasonable price, don't overpay, preserve flexibility for the draft and for future years when the cap opens further. That approach looks smarter or dumber depending on where you think each bridge player lands on the competence spectrum.
Garrett Bradbury, acquired from New England for a 2027 fifth-round pick, fills the Drew Dalman void at center with a budget bridge solution rather than a long-term answer. Bradbury is 30 years old, graded 30th out of 40 qualifying centers by PFF in 2025, and carries a $3.7 million base salary. He's serviceable, and the Bears should use their draft capital to find his eventual replacement. One name Bears fans might enjoy following in April: Josh Kreutz, son of Olin Kreutz—the Bears' six-time Pro Bowl center—who played at Illinois and projects as a Day 3 prospect. Chicago bloodlines, center by trade, trained by the best center in franchise history. More on him closer to the draft.
Braxton Jones' one-year, up-to-$10 million re-signing at left tackle is best understood as a depth move with upside—not an answer. Jones was benched after four starts in 2025, posted a 55.5 PFF overall grade, and finished the season on injured reserve. His 2024 before a fractured ankle was legitimately good (80.8 PFF pass-blocking grade), and that version of Jones at $5 million base is a reasonable depth bet. But the Bears still need a better solution at left tackle through either free agency or the draft, with Taylor Decker—The Ringer's best fit for Chicago—still on the market as a veteran upgrade. If the Bears enter 2026 relying on Jones as the primary starter while Trapilo rehabilitates, and if that 2024 form doesn't return, they'll be in a familiar and uncomfortable spot protecting Caleb Williams' blindside.
Neville Gallimore's two-year, $12 million contract gives the defensive line a rotational piece with a career-high 3.5 sacks last year in Indianapolis. He's a run defender by trade, has started just 26 games in six NFL seasons, and is not the answer to a Bears run defense that allowed 5.0 yards per carry in 2025—fourth-worst in the NFL. He's a body. Useful in rotation alongside Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter, but nobody should be pretending this addressed the interior pass rush problem Poles outlined at the Combine. That problem still needs a draft solution. ESPN's Jordan Reid mocked DT Devin Woods to the Bears at No. 25 for a reason.
The One That Didn't Get Done — And Why It Still Matters
In Part 3 of this series, we wrote that Montez Sweat needed a running mate and the cap wasn't going to allow Maxx Crosby. That was right—Crosby was traded to Baltimore. What we couldn't fully anticipate was the extent to which the rest of the edge market would also disappear from Chicago's reach before the tampering window even warmed up. Jaelan Phillips went to Carolina for four years and $120 million. Odafe Oweh went to Washington for four years and $100 million. Boye Mafe went to Cincinnati. Kwity Paye got a deal larger than the $40 million Bryant received at safety. The Bears watched every meaningful edge rusher sign with someone else at prices they weren't willing to match, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Chicago wasn't desperate for a splashy pass rusher and that "much will depend on price."
Which brings us to Trey Hendrickson—the one name that matters, and the one conversation that isn't over yet.
Hendrickson is 31 years old, led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024, recorded 4 sacks in 7 games in 2025 before a core muscle injury shut him down in December, and has now fully recovered. Over his last 41 regular-season games, he has registered 39 sacks. He's a four-time Pro Bowler and 2024 First-Team All-Pro, and the Cincinnati Bengals chose to let him walk rather than meet his asking price after a prolonged contract standoff that defined their entire offseason. Per Adam Schefter (via SI/All Bengals), Hendrickson sees himself in the same pay range as Danielle Hunter ($40 million per year) and Jaelan Phillips ($30 million per year). As of Day 2 of the tampering period, no team had met that number. The Ringer ranked him the second-best free agent overall and projected his true market at $28-33 million per year on a two- or three-year deal. The Cowboys, Jaguars, and Buccaneers are the teams most frequently attached to his name. The Bears have not been widely linked to him, for the simple reason that his asking price is higher than what Poles appears willing to pay.
Here's the wrinkle: every day Hendrickson goes unsigned, his market softens. That's not a hope—that's how free agency works. When the premium suitors stop calling, the leverage erodes, and the number that seemed immovable in March starts to shift. The Bears have a backloaded cap structure that minimizes their 2026 hits and preserves flexibility—if Hendrickson's price settles closer to $20-25 million per year on a two-year deal, the math changes. It's not a slam dunk—he's 31, coming off a truncated season, and durability questions are legitimate—but it becomes a conversation. The Bears have the picks and the financial structure to be patient. Sometimes patience is the strategy.
The fallback plan is the draft—and the Bears are well-positioned to address it there. They hold four picks in the first three rounds: No. 25 overall, No. 57, No. 60 (acquired from Buffalo in the DJ Moore trade), and No. 89 in the third round. Austin Booker posted 5.5 sacks in 12 games as a rookie last season—he is a real piece, not a placeholder—but he needs a running mate, the same way Sweat needs a running mate. An edge rusher at No. 25, No. 57, or No. 60 is not a reach. It's the single most defensible use of any of those picks, depending on what happens in free agency over the next two weeks.
The Draft Board: What the Bears Need in Pittsburgh
The Bears' draft capital looks like this: Round 1, No. 25. Round 2, No. 57. Round 2, No. 60 (from Buffalo via the DJ Moore trade). Round 3, No. 89. Round 4, No. 129 (from the Rams). Round 7, No. 239 (from Philadelphia via Cleveland). Round 7, No. 241. It's a surprisingly deep board—four picks in the first three rounds gives Poles real flexibility to address multiple needs rather than betting everything on one position.
The priorities, in order, should look something like this:
Edge Rusher — If Hendrickson doesn't sign somewhere—or if his market softens enough that the Bears can get him at a reasonable number—this pick moves to the second-most urgent need. If Hendrickson is gone, edge rushers should be at the top of the board at all three of those picks. The 2026 class is not as deep at the position as offensive tackle, but quality starters will be available on Day 2. For a deeper look at the edge rusher landscape, see Part 3 of this series.
Left Tackle — The Trapilo question doesn't go away just because Jones is back on a bridge deal. Poles said at the Combine that Trapilo is expected to miss most of 2026. If the Bears believe there is a franchise left tackle available at 25, and they have edge covered elsewhere, that pick becomes the best investment they can make in Caleb Williams' long-term protection. For a full breakdown of the tackle draft class and free agent options, see Part 4 of this series.
Defensive Tackle — The interior pass rush behind Gervon Dexter is thin, and Gallimore is a rotation piece, not a featured player. DT Devin Woods at No. 25 is one option if edge is covered. Otherwise, Day 2 has interior linemen worth targeting. For more on the Bears' defensive tackle needs and draft prospects, see Part 2 of this series.
Center — Bradbury is 30 and graded below league average in 2025. Josh Kreutz is one name to watch. The class has options. The Bears should use a late pick to find the center who makes the 2027 offensive line what the 2025 version was. For a full look at the center situation and draft options, see Part 3.5 of this series.
Safety — Contingent on what happens with Byard and Brisker. If both walk, this becomes significantly more urgent. If Byard comes back, it's depth work. Dillon Thieneman and Caleb Downs are the names to know. For a full breakdown of the safety position and draft prospects, see Part 1 of this series.
Cornerback — Nahshon Wright, who led the NFL with 8 takeaways last season, is a free agent. James Pierre signed with the Vikings. The Bears need depth behind Jaylon Johnson, and the mid-rounds of this draft have options.
The Bottom Line
When this series started eight days ago, the conversation was mostly hypothetical. What does Dennis Allen need? What can Ryan Poles afford? What does the draft path look like? Those questions have mostly been answered—just not cleanly, not neatly, and not without a few asterisks.
The Sun-Times described the Bears' Day 1 spending as building their defense "the way coordinator Dennis Allen wants it—with a focus on speed and versatility." That's the right framing. Devin Bush running a 4.43. Coby Bryant as the Gardner-Johnson archetype Allen has always wanted. D'Marco Jackson's system familiarity. Neville Gallimore's rotational aggression. Even Garrett Bradbury's budget efficiency at center. Every move follows a thread. Poles and Allen are building a defense that can play fast in space, disguise coverage, and generate turnovers. The 2025 Bears led the NFL in takeaways. The 2026 version, if healthy, should be in that conversation again.
But here's the thing about a fast defense that creates turnovers: it still needs to get home on the quarterback. The 2025 Bears ranked 22nd in sacks (35) and 22nd in pressure rate (21.1 percent). Those numbers did not improve this week. The edge rusher hole is not a side note to this offseason—it is the headline. Montez Sweat and Austin Booker are a starting point. They are not a finishing point. The pass rush that can make this defense elite, that can make the turnovers and the speed and the versatility worth what it cost to assemble—that piece hasn't been added yet.
Trey Hendrickson is still out there. The Bears have the cap structure, the draft capital, and the patience to be in that conversation if the market moves in their direction. And if it doesn't, they hold four picks in the first three rounds and a draft class that has edge rushers worth targeting at multiple spots. One way or another, this gets addressed. It has to.
The offseason isn't over. The most important move hasn't been made yet.
This concludes the Bears 2026 Offseason Needs series. Keep it here at Lakefront Sports for coverage of all the latest Bears signings, cuts, and draft analysis as the spring continues.