The Chicago Bears’ defense enters 2026 with a familiar split personality: enough playmaking to make you believe, enough leaks to keep you uneasy.
Last season, the unit led the NFL with 33 turnovers, but the rest of the profile was far less flattering. Chicago finished with just 35 sacks and sat near the bottom of the league in several major categories - 29th in yards allowed per game at 361.8, 27th in rushing yards allowed per game at 134.5, and 23rd in points allowed per game at 24.4. That’s the kind of stat line that tells you the defense could swing games in one moment and spend the next three quarters trying to dig out of a hole.
The offseason brought some fresh faces aimed at smoothing out those rough edges. The Bears added Coby Bryant, Devin Bush, and first-round rookie Dillon Thieneman, moves that should help the group in different ways. But the big question remains the same: is this a defense on the rise, or just a unit hoping the same problems don’t show up again?
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport took a hard look at that range of outcomes and landed on a pretty sober best-case scenario for Chicago. As he put it: "The Bears will take any kind of defensive improvement they can get in 2026 after the team allowed the fourth-most yards per game in the league last year and surrendered the 10th-most points per contest. But any improvement will likely be incremental-going from Tremaine Edmunds to Devin Bush was a lateral move, and the secondary will be rolling out a pair of new safeties in Coby Bryant and rookie Dillon Thieneman."
That’s a cautious read, but it fits the way the Bears played a year ago. They were strong when the field tightened up, but between the 20s, the yardage piled up. If that middle-of-the-field problem sticks around, the defense can look disruptive without actually being stable.
Davenport’s worst-case scenario is even more uncomfortable for Chicago. He wrote: "Chicago can't afford any sort of defensive backslide if they want to win the NFC North again, but said backslide can't be ruled out.
After reportedly taking a run at Maxx Crosby, a pass rush that logged just 35 sacks last year wasn't improved. Bryant would appear an upgrade at deep safety, but while Thieneman is talented he's also untested.
It won't take much for this to be a bottom-five defense. And that would be a real problem for Chicago's postseason chances."
That concern starts up front, where Ryan Poles’ inability to land another pass rusher could end up looming largest. Montez Sweat remains a major piece - he was recently named a top 100 player - but the Bears still need answers from Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo.
There is some reason for optimism in the back end. The safety spots should be better in pass coverage, even if the turnover rate doesn’t stay as high as it was last year. And Jaylon Johnson is fully healthy and looked strong at Bears OTAs, which gives Chicago another reason to think the secondary can hold up better than it did in stretches last season.
In the end, though, the whole thing still hinges on the defensive line. If that group can’t create more pressure and turn some of those yards into stops, the Bears could be staring at the same exact problems that haunted them a year ago.
In Other News...
Bears May Have Quietly Fixed A Position That Kept Burning Them
The Bears spent the offseason trying to quiet a problem spot that never seemed to stay solved, and the work started at safety. Chicago moved on from the old pairing and turned to a new look built around Coby Bryant, who arrived on a three-year deal and is already drawing the kind of buzz that suggests the front office believes it found an upgrade. Alongside him is rookie Dillon Thieneman, a younger bet with the kind of long-term upside the Bears have been missing back there.
What makes the change so notable is how much turnover it reflects. Kevin Byard came in on a short-term pact after an All-Pro season that some around the league viewed with skepticism, while Jaquan Briskers stint was derailed by injuries and uneven play. Now the Bears are asking Bryant to stabilize the present and Thieneman to grow into a bigger role, leaving one of the defenses most frustrating positions suddenly looking like it might finally have a plan. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Just Got Another Reason To Worry About Left Tackle
An injury to Ozzy Trapilo has shifted the Bears left tackle picture again, and now the focus is back on Theo Benedet and Braxton Jones as training camp approaches. Benedet enters the competition as an undrafted player who has already started eight NFL games, while Jones brings the more established rsum and the kind of experience that usually matters most when a line spot is up for grabs.
Benedet at least has a lane to make this interesting, which is more than most depth linemen get this time of year. Jones still looks like the favorite, but the Bears need stability on the edge and the job is now set up as a real camp battle, with Benedet trying to turn his opportunity into something more than a temporary mention on the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
These 4 Bears Backups Could Decide How Far 2026 Goes
The Bears 2026 outlook may hinge less on the headline names and more on the depth chart behind them, where a few younger backups are positioned to matter in a hurry. Austin Booker is one of the clearest examples, since his role in the pass rush could grow if Dayo Odeyingbo is not fully healthy, and that kind of spillover can reshape how a defense holds up over the course of a season.
Cole Kmet also sits near the center of the conversation, with his offensive role likely to expand if Colston Loveland is unavailable, while Neville Gallimore was brought in to add needed defensive line depth. Then there is Zavion Thomas, whose speed gives Chicago another flexible piece to consider on special teams and offense, a useful sort of insurance if the Bears need answers from unexpected places. [Read more 🡒]