Bears’ biggest need to address in 2026 NFL Draft after failing to find it in free agency

The Chicago Bears are intent on building off a season that saw them win the NFC North and earn a playoff victory over the archrival Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Bears were one of the biggest surprises in the NFL under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. He worked relentlessly with second-year quarterback Caleb Williams and the results were often spectacular.

However, when it comes to the 2026 season, the success the team had last year has little to do with maintaining that position in the upcoming season. The Bears have several areas that have to improve and it’s clear that significant changes have to be made on defense if they are going to be a strong team in the 2026 season.

The Bears may have had an opportunistic defense last year that led the league in takeaways with 33, but they gave up significant amounts of yardage throughout the season. Chicago ranked 29th in the league as they allowed 361.8 yards per game and they appear to be significantly weaker on defense now than when they ended the season.

The Bears have already lost linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, safety Kevin Byard, safety Jaquan Brisker and safety Jonathan Owens in free agency. Byard led the NFL with 7 interceptions last season, and while it’s clear that the Bears are going to have to upgrade defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s secondary in the upcoming NFL Draft, they need to address their defensive line.

Bears need to address defensive line in the NFL Draft

The Bears need reinforcements in this area, and while they have a couple of solid players defensive end Montez Sweat (team-leading 10.0 sacks) and defensive tackles Gervon Dexter (6.0 sacks), that’s not enough. Sweat was off to something of a slow start (1.0 sack in the first 5 games) before he was challenged and responded. Dexter should be able to build off of what he has accomplished, but Grady Jarrett plays next to him and he may not have much left in the tank. He will turn 33 before the start of the season, and the Bears need to look at the defensive tackle position.

The belief here is that when the Bears get to make their first-round selection with the 25th pick they need to take defensive tackle Christen Miller of Clemson.

Miller is a 6-4, 321-pounder who can clog the middle and become a significant force. He is strong and resilient at the point of attack and he demonstrates explosive power when he engages with the blocker.

Miller has the kind of strength and hand-fighting ability to knock blockers backward and gain a clear path to the ball carrier. He knows how to shed blockers when he is in a two-gap system. More than any one other factor, he has wonderful balance and does not get knocked over.

The Bears have brought in three free-agent defensive tackles in Neville Gallimore from the Indianapolis Colts, Kentavius Street from the Atlanta Falcons and James Lynch from the Tennessee Titans. Two of these players may turn out to be contributors, but Miller looks like he has the skills and talent to be a starter right from the start.

Bears may also want to look at Akheem Meisdor or Zion Young

If the Bears are going to look at an edge rusher to pair with Sweat, they may want to consider Akheem Mesidor of Miami. He played both the edge position as well as the middle of the defensive line during his college career, and he had had his greatest success last year with the Hurricanes as he registered 12.5 sacks on the edge last year. He was at his best during Miami’s run in the College Football Playoffs.

The 6-2, 258-pound Meisdor has excellent first-step quickness and he also excels at putting on pressure from the DT position.

Young is a bit more heavy-handed of a player that Meisdor. The 6-6, 263-pound Young can relentlessly pound on offensive tackles throughout the game and he can make that pay off in the late stages of the third quarter as well as the fourth.

He transferred to Missouri and played two seasons with the Tigers after playing two years at Michigan State. He combines his notable power with excellent quickness.

While Meisdor and Young are outstanding draft prospects, both may be gone by the time the Bears get a chance to make the No. 25 pick. As a result, they may have to go with Miller who has the all-around game to develop into a key contributor early in the season.

The Bears will need to address the secondary following the loss of Byard and the other safeties, but building a dominant defensive line will allow the Bears to take the pressure of their linebackers and cover men.

The post Bears’ biggest need to address in 2026 NFL Draft after failing to find it in free agency appeared first on ClutchPoints.