If the Chicago Bears’ defense was one thing in 2026, it was opportunistic. Led by coordinator Dennis Allen, Chicago forced the most turnovers of any team in the NFL with 33, largely driven by a league-leading 23 interceptions. Safety Kevin Byard posted seven of those to lead the NFL on an individual level, while breakout cornerback Nahshon Wright had five as both players made the Pro Bowl (with Byard earning All-Pro honors).
However, the Bears still finished in the bottom third of the NFL in a number
of defensive stats, struggling to stop opposing teams when they could not take the ball away. Chicago finished 23rd in the NFL in points allowed at 24.4 per game, and they were a bottom-five team in both yards per pass attempt (28th at 6.8) and yards per rushing attempt (29th at 5.0).
Interception numbers tend to regress towards the mean across the NFL, and Chicago is primed for regression in that category. According to FTN, the mean ratio of interceptions to pass defenses is about 19%, but the Bears were at a whopping 30.7% last season (23 INTs against 75 pass defenses). This signals that the Bears defense could take a significant dip in 2026 even if they maintained a similar level of quality in personnel, and the regression started to hit late in the season, as the team failed to record a turnover in either of its postseason games.
However, maintaining that personnel will be a mighty challenge for general manager Ryan Poles, particularly in the secondary. When free agency arrives next week, the Bears will see a huge number of their defensive backs hit the market. Three full-time starters, two key rotational players, and a few notable backups are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, and with Chicago already about $7 million over the salary cap, keeping the band together for another year will be a massive challenge.
First up we have Wright, one of the team’s biggest surprises in 2025. The former Cowboys 3rd-round draft pick had started just three games in his career before last season, and he played just one game for the Vikings in 2024. Wright signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with Chicago but made the Pro Bowl with his five-pick season. Based on APC’s consensus free agent rankings, Wright ranks 39th overall, and could be set for a solid payday, very likely with another team.
Moving inside to the slot, the Bears have two of the three players who played significant snaps set to be free agents. Veterans C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Nick McCloud, who filled in for an injured Kyler Gordon throughout last season, will both hit the market and are no locks to return. A healthy Gordon should certainly be an improvement, but losing depth behind him is a significant concern.
Chicago’s cornerback position could still be in decent shape if they lose these players to free agent deals elsewhere. Jaylon Johnson missed ten games with an injury in 2025, and a healthy Johnson is one of the best corners in the NFC North. Tyrique Stevenson has also been an acceptable starter on the boundary and with Gordon manning the slot, that’s at least an acceptable trio.
But then there’s the safety position, where every one of the four true safeties on the Bears’ roster are set to become unrestricted free agents next week. That group consists of starters Byard and Jaquan Brisker, plus backups Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks. Brisker and Byard rank 41st and 48th on the consensus rankings, and the Bears quite literally have no feasible backup plan if those two players both depart in free agency.
The Bears absolutely must sign at least one free agent safety to have any hope of even treading water on the back end of their defense. Although to be fair, moving on from Brisker might be addition by subtraction, at least where coverage is concerned. He allowed a career-high passer rating of 127.6 in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, giving up a completion rate of 75% and five touchdowns against just one interception. Although Byard will be 33 in August, he is probably the safety that Chicago should focus their efforts on bringing back.
Drew Dalman’s surprise retirement should get the Bears cap-compliant for the start of the new league year, but only just barely. Unless the Bears restructured re-signing three starters and a few key reserves is unlikely given their cap situation. Chicago will have to count on improved health from their cornerback group while devoting offseason resources to the safety position — though notably this year’s NFL Draft is expected to have a good crop of players at that spot. Even so, regression should be coming for the one statistical category where the Bears’ secondary was actually successful in 2025.
The Green Bay Packers would love nothing more than to take the division crown back from the Bears in 2026, particularly coming off a Wild Card playoff defeat at their rivals’ hands. Fortunately for the Packers, Chicago’s secondary looks like a strong regression candidate after they were already struggling on a down-to-down basis last season.
