“Whether the defensive front can rebound” Chicago Bears have major post-draft question to answer

General manager Ryan Poles, and the Chicago Bears have spent the better parts of the past two offseasons acquiring young talent around quarterback Caleb Williams and fortifying the playmakers that head coach Ben Johnson needed for his system to thrive.

During the 2026 NFL Draft, though, the Bears seemed to try to targetedly add depth at some key positions, while focusing on building out the talent across coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense, in hopes of both creating some separation in the NFC North and balance after largely being carried by Williams’ heroics and Johnson’s Meidas Touch play-calling into the NFC Divisional Playoffs last season.

Chicago Bears’ draft class raises scrutiny

One year removed from adding immediate high-impact contributors in tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden in the early rounds, Chicago’s approach to the 2026 draft seemed to be identifying gaps in the depth chart to solidify, especially on defense.

Over at The Athletic, Bears reporter Kevin Fishbain says that Chicago’s trajectory in 2026 could hinge on the front-seven making some big strides, despite Poles failing to secure one of the premier pass rushers in a loaded class at the position.

“Day 2 of this draft will be highly scrutinized,” Fishbain writes for The Athletic. “The three picks (center Logan Jones, tight end Sam Roush and receiver Zavion Thomas) are not in line to be immediate contributors. Good teams that pick late in drafts can feel comfortable relying on their process because they return so many good players. Though the depth is fortified on offense, the defense hampered the Bears most last season. They appeared to get good value with safety Dillon Thieneman and their Day 3 defensive players, but the focus this spring and summer will be on whether the defensive front can rebound.”

Adding Thieneman early, almost unquestionably, solves a depth crisis at safety after Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson each departed via free agency. Thieneman, whose ball skills helped push him into the first round, is an ideal complement opposite Coby Bryant who just might wind up being an overall upgrade at safety.

How aggressively the Bears’ pass rush is able to set the tone up front, to create opportunities for Chicago’s new safety duo may dictate whether this defense can make major strides or be forced to try to rely on its potentially fleeting takeaway heroics that paved the way last season.

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