This offseason will be a little different for Chicago Bears fans. For the first time in what seems like ages, their preseason preparation started a few weeks later than usual. The Bears not only made it to the postseason but were able to make it to the Divisional Round. It was a great season for the team.
Unfortunately for them, their Cinderella run ended in heartbreaking fashion against the Los Angeles Rams. Now, Chicago has more work to do in the offseason. Despite their playoff run, the Bears have clear holes in their roster that they'll need to address to be a legitimate contender.
One avenue that the Bears can take to improve their roster is in free agency. Let's look at who the Bears should be targeting in free agency to improve their roster.
Bears' top needs: defense, defense, and defense
Let's not beat around the bush: the Bears' defense is not enough to win the Super Bowl. Ben Johnson calls an amazing game on offense, and Caleb Williams is a master in the fourth quarter, but winning through comebacks is not a sustainable way to win. Part of the reason why the Bears have had to engineer comeback after comeback is because of their porous defense.
Their struggles can be traced to their inability to pressure the opposing team's quarterbacks. The Bears blitz the quarterback at the 10th highest rate in the league, and yet they rank 22nd in the league in pressure rate. They also allowed the fifth-most rushing yards in the league last season. Simply put, their linebacker and defensive line core needs to be rehauled completely.
Now, the Bears can also address this in the draft. That does seem to be the best option, as there's no true standout defensive lineman or linebacker in this year's free agent class. That being said, there are a few options for the Bears that should help them out on that end, provided that they don't break the bank for these players.
Odafe Oweh, DE
The Bears need more reliable depth at the defensive end position. A good DE room gives the defense different looks that they can throw at the quarterback. Whether it's speed at the end or just a bull-rush, you need someone who can get to the quarterback by any means neccesary.
The Bears' starting defensive ends did pretty well: Montez Sweat was still the ever-reliable workhorse that powers the defensive line (10.5 sacks this year), while Austin Booker was a nice breakout star who the team hopes can improve in the future. However, outside of the two starters, the defensive ends have been underwhelming.
Oweh has been an underrated defensive end for the Chargers. While he's no Nick Bosa or Myles Garrett, the Chargers DE's speed off the edge will be a nice weapon in Dennis Allen's toolbox. Oweh recorded three sacks in the Chargers' loss to the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round.
Nakobe Dean, LB
Linebackers are often lost in conversations about defense, but a good linebacker core is often the difference between a good defense and an awful defense. With how pass-happy teams are these days and tight ends functioning more and more like a receiver, having a good linebacker in coverage is essential for a defense to success.
The Bears have a nice linebacker core, but rising star Noah Sewell will likely be out for the 2026 season due to his Achilles tear. Dean has been a great coverage linebacker and can help add more juice to their pass rush (92.3 grade from PFF as a pass rusher).
