The Bears’ defense has already poured plenty of money into its front, but one of the biggest bets from last offseason still hasn’t paid off. Now, with 2026 approaching, Dayo Odeyingbo is back in the spotlight - and not because of what he did on the field in 2025.
Odeyingbo’s first season in Chicago ended with just one sack in eight games before a season-ending Achilles injury cut things short. ESPN NFL analyst Aaron Schatz singled him out as the nonstarter to watch after the Bears’ projected starting lineup came in 17th.
“He signed a big free agent contract last year to come over from Indianapolis but was disappointing, with just one sack in eight starts before getting hurt. Can he get healthy and get his groove back? The Bears need edge help behind Sweat and Booker.”
That quote captures the whole problem. Chicago gave Odeyingbo a three-year, $48 million deal, even though he had never topped eight sacks in a season and was coming off three sacks in 2024.
The upside was always tied more to pressure production than pure sack totals, and he had posted 42 pressures in 2024 before arriving in Chicago. Last season, that part of his game fell off too, as he managed just 10 pressures with the Bears.
Meanwhile, Austin Booker is the name drawing more buzz entering camp. He put together 4.5 sacks in 10 games last year and filled in well when Odeyingbo went down.
Booker and Odeyingbo are set to battle for one of the defensive end spots, with Montez Sweat the only locked-in starter. Booker is the projected starter for now, though Odeyingbo still has a path to win the job.
The pressure on Odeyingbo is obvious. Chicago can’t really afford to have a player on that kind of contract sliding into the background. If 2026 goes sideways again, his future with the team could already be in doubt by next offseason.
That urgency is only sharper because the Bears’ defense finished with 33 sacks last season, and general manager Ryan Poles didn’t add an elite defensive end through free agency, trade, or the draft. For a unit that needs more juice off the edge, Odeyingbo is one of the biggest swing pieces on the roster.
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