Ryan Poles isn't done adding to the defensive line.
The Bears have agreed to terms with defensive end Kentavius Street, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Street, 29, spent the last three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and arrives in Chicago with 10.5 career sacks and eight seasons of NFL experience. Financial terms have not been announced. The deal becomes official when the new league year opens Wednesday, March 11.
The Dennis Allen Connection
This one has a clear origin story. Street played under Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in New Orleans in 2022, when Allen was the Saints' head coach. That's the same relationship pattern that brought D'Marco Jackson back to Chicago on a two-year deal — Allen coached him in New Orleans too — and it reflects something consistent about how Allen builds his defense. He trusts players he's already installed. He knows what Street does, how he plays, where he fits in a rotation. That familiarity matters in a scheme as detailed as Allen's, and it typically means the adjustment period is shorter than it would be for a player coming in cold.
What He Is
Street is not a featured player. He has started just 10 games in 85 career appearances since being drafted in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2018 out of NC State. He has also played for the Eagles before landing in Atlanta. That career arc — a rotational piece who has stuck in the league for eight years without ever becoming a primary starter — tells you exactly what the Bears are getting: someone who understands his role, executes it reliably, and provides depth that can hold up when the defensive line in front of him is asked to rotate.
His 2025 season in Atlanta was a reasonable encapsulation of that value. Street began the year on Atlanta's practice squad, was elevated to the active roster in mid-November after Sam Roberts went on injured reserve, and proceeded to play seven games while posting 21 tackles and two sacks. That's productive output for a player who was essentially called up mid-season and dropped into a rotational role without preparation time. When Dennis Allen watches that and sees a player he already coached, the fit writes itself.
Where He Fits in Chicago
Neville Gallimore signed a two-year deal with the Bears a day earlier, giving the defensive line its first notable addition of free agency. Street slots in alongside Gallimore as a second rotational piece behind Gervon Dexter Sr. and Grady Jarrett on the interior, with the flexibility to also push outside and rotate with Montez Sweat and Austin Booker off the edge. At 6-foot-2 and 315 pounds, he's big enough to occupy blockers inside and quick enough to contribute as a pass rusher when aligned at end.
As noted in our defensive tackle needs breakdown earlier this month, the Bears' interior pass rush behind Dexter was a real problem in 2025 — Chicago ranked among the worst teams in the NFL against the run, and the lack of push up front was a consistent issue. Street and Gallimore together don't solve that. They add depth and allow Allen to keep fresh bodies on the field in rotation, which is how he prefers to operate. But the Bears will still need a more impactful answer at defensive tackle, most likely through the draft. ESPN's Jordan Reid mocked DT Devin Woods to Chicago at No. 25 for a reason.
Street also joins guards Joe Thuney and center Garrett Bradbury as NC State products on Chicago's roster — a small detail that means nothing competitively but suggests the Bears' scouts are comfortable with what that program produces.
The financial terms weren't disclosed along with the signing. This is a depth move, priced accordingly, from a front office that has been consistent about preserving cap flexibility for the bigger decisions still ahead.