As Bears training camp rolls on, one of the bigger questions hanging over Chicago’s 2026 pass rush is whether the team has enough up front beyond its young pieces and Montez Sweat. That concern has put a spotlight on veteran defensive lineman Grady Jarrett, whose first season in Chicago fell well short of expectations.
Jarrett’s 2025 campaign was, by the source’s own framing, the worst of his career. A knee injury appeared to sap his effectiveness, and the result was a 56.7 PFF rating that underscored just how far he had slipped from his usual standard. For plenty of fans, that made him look like a rare miss for Ryan Poles in free agency.
But writing off Jarrett after one down year would be premature. The veteran has long built a career on timely, high-impact plays, including a Super Bowl appearance with the Atlanta Falcons in which he delivered 3.0 sacks in a game that stood as the defining performance of his career. He has also spent much of that career with a losing franchise, which has kept some of his best work out of the broader spotlight.
That’s why there’s still a real case for optimism. Jarrett’s track record points toward a player whose decline last season may have been tied more to injury than age or permanent drop-off. If he gets back to full strength, the Bears could be looking at a much different interior presence in 2026.
And that matters because Chicago doesn’t need Jarrett to pile up eye-popping sack totals. What it needs is the kind of inside force that can command double teams, occupy blockers, and make life easier for the edge rushers around him. That kind of steady disruption can change the feel of a pass rush without showing up in the flashiest numbers.
If Jarrett does return to form, the ripple effect could be significant for Dennis Allen’s defense. The front could shift from a group with real questions to one capable of helping support a deep playoff run. For that reason, Jarrett’s health and performance deserve close attention as the regular season approaches.
Any signs that last year’s knee issues are truly behind him will only strengthen the belief that 2026 could be the season he turns things back around. After a frustrating debut in Chicago, the opportunity is there for Jarrett to remind everyone why he has been so productive for so long.
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