Evaluating the top offseason priorities for the Bears

The Chicago Bears made one of the biggest moves of the offseason with the hiring of head coach Ben Johnson. Landing the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is the start of what Bears fans hope will be a strong offseason to get the franchise back on track.

Chicago is armed with nearly $67M in cap space to work with in free agency as well as multiple draft picks, including the 10th overall pick.

Let’s break down the Bears’ main priorities for building their roster for next season and beyond.

Upgrading the interior offensive line

After giving up a league-high 68 sacks and struggling to establish a rushing attack last year, the offensive line comes in as one of the biggest areas of the roster to improve this offseason.

While some of the sack issues can be attributed to Caleb Williams’ rookie growing pains, the Bears need to put their young quarterback in a better position to succeed moving forward, and investing in the interior of the offensive line would be a good start.

Trey Smith, Will Fries, Drew Dalman, and Kevin Zeitler are all standout linemen Chicago could pursue in free agency.

Adding a complementary pass-rusher to Montez Sweat

Chicago has built solid depth along the defensive line, but this unit would become a major strength with the addition of a high-level pass-rusher, whether that’s at edge or on the interior.

There are a number of free agents this offseason who fit that billing, including Milton Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, Malcolm Koonce, Haason Reddick, Khalil Mack and Josh Sweat.

Finding value in the linebacker market

One of the most criticized moves of Ryan Poles’ tenure as GM thus far was trading Roquan Smith months before signing Tremaine Edmunds to a four-year, $72M deal. While Edmonds is a starting-quality player, he hasn’t been worth the big price tag.

While it’s too expensive to move off of Edmunds’ deal this offseason, in 2026, Chicago can save $15M in cap space by releasing him.

This is why off-ball linebacker is a position Chicago should be looking to invest in with one of its three selections on day two in the draft if the value is there.

Adding pieces at skill positions

The good news for Chicago is that it has a solid foundation of weapons to build around with D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet on the roster. 

However, with Keenan Allen, who turns 33 in April, set to be a free agent this offseason, adding depth at wide receiver is a priority.

Finding a long-term solution at running back is another potential priority. While D’Andre Swift received a three-year, $24M deal last year, there are question marks about how Johnson values Swift, as he was traded during Johnson’s tenure with the Lions.

In a deep running back class, Chicago could have its sights set on adding someone like TreVeyon Henderson or Omarion Hampton, amongst others, on day two to be a short- and long-term contributor for the offense.