Chicago Bears Upgraded Draft Board After Opening Days of Free Agency

Somewhere at Halas Hall, Ryan Poles is sitting at his whiteboard, marker in hand, numerous sleepless nights deep into the 2026 negotiating window. Following the additions of safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush, the Bears GM is now drawing a big fat circle around No. 25 and writing one word next to it: EDGE.

Poles watched his pass rushers get swallowed alive in 2025. He watched Caleb Williams absorb punishment that no second-year franchise quarterback should absorb. Watched Montez Sweat chase quarterbacks alone—double-teamed every third snap, exhausted by December, torched in the playoffs by a Rams offensive line that knew exactly who was coming. The Bears made it to the Divisional Round on grit and Williams’ improvisational genius. But grit doesn’t repeat.

So, Poles went shopping. Fast.

CALEB WILLIAMS ARE YOU SERIOUS
pic.twitter.com/PhgUP67S1o

— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) January 19, 2026

Early Free Agency Moves 

Neville Gallimore signed before most agents had their morning coffee. Kentavius Street—315 pounds of veteran interior nastiness—followed within hours. Coby Bryant patched a safety room that cracked under postseason pressure. Devin Bush added a thumper at linebacker. Kalif Raymond joined as the stopgap Williams slot option after DJ Moore packed for Buffalo in a deal that still stings South Side bars.

Despite the additions and last season’s efforts, online betting sites still make the Bears outsiders in the division next season. The latest odds on NFL futures bets at Bovada currently list Chicago as a +325 outsider to repeat as NFC North champions, behind the +170 Lions and +200 Packers.  Here’s why: none of the offseason moves thus far fixed the pass rush. They bought Poles time. And Poles knows exactly what to do with it.

The Card That Matters

After their impressive playoff run, the Bears will be on the board at No. 25 overall. That pick is premium real estate. Poles’ moment of truth.

He also holds No. 57, No. 89, the Rams’ No. 129, No. 156, and two Round 7s that’ll likely become draft-board trading chips. But 25 is where Chicago’s contention window either cracks open or stalls—where Poles either swings for the trench cornerstone Williams’ offense needs or watches another offseason drift past the NFC North’s ascending ceiling.

The board, after free agency, tells a clean story. Interior DL? Stabilized short-term—Gallimore, Street, Jarrett, Dexter running Allen’s four-man fronts for 2026. Safety? Bryant. Linebacker? Bush. Corner remains exposed after Nahshon Wright bolted to the Jets, and Jaylon Johnson plus Tyrique Stevenson are a hamstring away from a secondary emergency. WR depth bleeds without Moore. But the draft priority is screaming from every piece of film Poles has watched since January: edge rusher, edge rusher, edge rusher.

Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn

The last time Keldric Faulk’s name got serious traction was Auburn’s 2024 season—11 TFL, seven sacks, every dominant pass rusher trait a scout’s room could want, and a whisper that this kid was a top-15 talent. Then 2025 happened. Auburn’s offense couldn’t sustain drives. The Tigers surrendered leads, rushed their defense back onto the field, and Faulk’s production dipped to 5 TFL and 2 sacks against consistent double-team attention that his depleted teammates couldn’t punish.

At the Combine in Indianapolis, Faulk stepped onto the Lucas Oil turf and made noise without running a single timed drill—opting out of measured testing entirely, knowing his tape had already made the argument. What he did do: the hoop drill. Six-foot-six frame, 34⅜-inch arms, and a controlled lean-and-dip that made the scouts’ section go quiet. He grabbed towels off the ground at full extension—held them up a beat longer than everyone else—pure theater, and pure flexibility.

The widest wingspan of any edge rusher in the class at 82 1⁄4 inches. A 35-inch vertical. A broad jump of 9’9″. His pass rush win rate sat at 11.6% in 2025, a down number shaped by a broken team, not a broken prospect.

Most Bears-specific mocks have him sliding anywhere between No. 18 and No. 25. If he’s there at 25, it’s a heist. Poles pairs him with Sweat, and suddenly, Chicago’s pressure unit goes from the league’s most anonymous front to legitimate fear. Can the Bears’ front finally make NFC North quarterbacks run for their lives? With Faulk and Sweat together? Yes.

Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State

If he’s gone? Don’t panic. Kayden McDonald is waiting.

The Ohio State DT stood at the Combine podium and said with zero hesitation: “I believe I’m the best defensive tackle in this draft class.” Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, PFF No. 24 overall, 6’3″ and 326 pounds of first-team All-Big Ten anchor who absorbs double teams the way a black hole absorbs light.

The Bears surrendered 130-plus rush yards per game over the past two seasons. Gallimore and Street are real contributors—but they’re bridges, not foundations. McDonald is a foundation. He compresses running lanes before linebackers engage, chases down ballcarriers with a motor that Ohio State leaned on in every critical moment, and creates pocket disruption without needing to rack up sacks to justify his presence.

His NFL comparison whispers Alim McNeill. His ceiling, if he adds hand variety, whispers louder. ESPN and USA Today both have him linked to Chicago at No. 25 in Bears-specific projections, and if both McDonald and Faulk are available at 25, then Chicago will have a huge decision on their hands.

LT Overton, Edge, Alabama

Regardless of Round 1’s outcome, edge depth can’t wait. LT Overton—powerful, long, still developing polish—embodies everything Poles loves in a Day 2 investment: traits over production, ceiling over résumé. A developmental gem with rare size-to-athleticism ratio, he projects as a rotational specialist in Year 1 who transitions into a starter opposite Sweat or Faulk by Year 2. Cost-controlled for four years.

If Round 1 yields McDonald or Faulk, Overton becomes the premium edge Chicago still desperately needs. Alternatives? Caleb Banks (Florida, DT) or a T.J. Parker slide offer pivots, but Overton’s upside makes him the priority here.

Chris Johnson or Brandon Cisse, CB

Chris Johnson (San Diego State) and Brandon Cisse (South Carolina) both profile as NFC North-ready cornerbacks; physical at the point of attack, capable of contesting Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown’s routes without getting bullied.

Both project as immediate CB3s with starting upside—exactly what a secondary managing Johnson and Gordon’s injury histories demands. Depth imperative. Smart insurance, not panic.

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