For the first time in a long time, it feels like the Bears have waves of young talent that they can build upon. This is mostly exciting news. Mostly. It also means that Ryan Poles has entered a new phase of his roster building process – evaluating several of his first draft picks for second contracts.
He’s already had to do this to a degree with his 2022 draft class with the extension given to Kyler Gordon, and the lack of extensions to players like Jaquan Brisker, Braxton Jones, Dominique Robinson,
and Elijah Hicks.
As the Bears enter the 2026 offseason, there are several players who could be up for second contracts:
- Darnell Wright, OT, 2023 1st Round, 93.1% 2025 Snaps | UFA, 5th Year Extension eligible
- Gervon Dexter, DT, 2023 2nd Round, 62.0% 2025 Snaps | UFA
- Tyrique Stevenson, CB, 2023 2nd Round, 54.8% 2025 Snaps | UFA
- Roschon Johnson, RB, 2023 4th Round, 0.3% 2025 Snaps | UFA
- Noah Sewell, LB, 2023 5th Round, 38.1% 2025 Snaps | UFA
- Terell Smith, CB, 2023 6th Round, 0% 2025 Snaps (Pre-Season Injury) | UFA
There appear to be three players with an argument for receiving a second deal this offseason or during the 2026 season: Darnell Wright, Gervon Dexter, and Tyrique Stevenson.
Who do you think will get a second contract next season?
I think there are two separate cases to be made.
The first is Darnell Wright, who I believe will receive a well-deserved contract extension during the upcoming offseason. Wright — Ryan Poles’ first 1st round pick has been everything the Bears could have asked for. In fact, he’s been the best homegrown OL the Bears have had since at least Kyle Long, and possibly longer than that. After being elected to the 2nd Team All-Pro, I think Poles moves quickly to extend him to a hefty contract before contemporaries like Paris Johnson Jr. get paid.
The next category is trickier. I think both Tyrique Stevenson and Gervon Dexter have been solid, but inconsistent during their Bears tenures. As such, I would expect Poles to let both play a portion of the 2026 season before giving an in season extension.
Stevenson has been fantastic in his best moments, notching 7 INTs, 5 FFs, and a TD across three seasons. However, he has had injuries, benchings, and ehrmm — boneheaded moments at his worst moments. Frankly, I see him getting a lot more playing time next season as Nashon Wright likely departs. As such, I think that Stevenson will return to his early season form and potentially earn a contract extension.
Dexter is even trickier to evaluate. His numbers have been above average in his three seasons, with 13.5 sacks, 10 TFLs, and 4 FRs to start his career. However, he remains a poor run defender, frequently getting pushed off of the line, and his sacks are usually made in cleanup duty as his get off the line still remains a problem. I expect Poles to make a significant addition to the middle of the DL this offseason, which may cut into Big Dex’s playing time and cost him an extension.
Other players like Terell Smith and Noah Sewell may still earn contracts after the 2026 season, but injury concerns will keep the Bears from paying them early.
