Bears connected to 21-sack champion in major offseason prediction

The Chicago Bears‘ defense has been a source of contention all season long, and one of the most prominent issues with the unit has been its pass rush.

The Bears have amassed a grand total of just 32 sacks on the year, and while that number likely would have been better had Austin Booker not been sidelined for the first half, it’s obvious that Chicago needs reinforcements, especially after Dayo Odeyingbo’s Achilles injury.

The problem is that the Bears don’t have much cap room heading into the offseason, so they likely won’t be able to rectify this issue in free agency. Chicago will have to turn to the NFL Draft, but luckily, this upcoming class is deep at edge rusher.

Bleacher Report published a piece detailing every NFL team’s biggest draft needs, and for the Bears, edge rusher was not surprisingly near the top of the list. As for B/R’s suggestion for Chicago? Michigan Wolverines star Derrick Moore.

Derrick Moore would be a great pickup for the Chicago Bears

Moore is projected to be a Day 2 pick in this year’s NFL Draft and just completed a 2025 campaign in which he racked up 30 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles.

The 23-year-old arrived at Michigan in 2022 and won a national championship as soon as his sophomore season, finishing with 34 tackles, six tackles for loss, five sacks and a defensive touchdown throughout the run.

Overall, Moore has accumulated 21 sacks during his collegiate tenure, utilizing his tremendous explosiveness to beat tackles off the edge. There is no question that Moore possesses the all-around repertoire to develop into a strong pass rusher on the professional level, so the Bears should seriously consider him this April.

Montez Sweat leads Chicago with 9.5 sacks this season. The Bears were hoping that Odeyingbo would help solve their pass-rushing issues, but the $48 million free-agent signing managed just one sack in eight games before going down for the year.

Chicago could expect a breakout campaign from Booker in 2026, but it would definitely benefit the Bears to add another pass rusher to provide some insurance, especially considering that Sweat, while good, has not been as dominant as Chicago hoped since it acquired him in a midseason trade with the Washington Commanders back in 2023.

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