In Part 1 of this installment, we focused on the offensive side of the ball. While there isn’t nearly as much angst as we’ve seen in recent years regarding that unit, the defense still has plenty of questions to be answered in the coming weeks. It’s fair to say that with a Top 10-15 defense, many would consider the Chicago Bears a Super Bowl favorite in the NFC. With plenty of unknowns and existing concerns remaining heading into this season, it’ll take plenty of things to go right for them to take a big
leap forward in 2026.
Let’s dive into the defensive side of the ball and dissect the Top 3 Training Camp battles to monitor in the coming weeks.
Defensive End 2
Heading into the offseason, it was fair to assume the Bears would do something to improve the overall upside of this room. Heading into late July’s start of training camp, this group remains untouched outside of losing Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. In short, the organization is banking on better health, a different coaching style, and growth from younger players to make the improvements needed to join the “Super Bowl Contender” conversation. Call me a skeptic, but for now, it is what it is.
Dayo Odeyingbo surprised many when he was a participant in the team’s offseason program. Assuming he doesn’t experience a setback, it appears that their Top 3 edge rushers will be healthy and ready to go for training camp. With Montez Sweat entrenched as their top starting defensive lineman, the competition between Austin Booker and Odeyingbo will be one to monitor closely. Both players had issues staying healthy last year, missing a combined full season between the two. Based on what we saw when both players were healthy, it’s fair to label Booker as the favorite. That said, the coaching staff has acknowledged Odeyingbo’s value on the interior, so don’t be surprised to see all three featured in various obvious pass-rushing situations.
Although fans shouldn’t rule out an outside addition in the coming weeks, the team seems confident in its approach to allow the situation to play out, at least into the latter part of the preseason. That means barring a surprise addition, Booker and Odeyingbo will be battling for not only a starting role on the defense but a chance to get to Week 1 healthy.
Defensive Tackle Depth
Tackle is yet another position that the Bears are hoping they can get more out of, even if the difference in talent between last year and now doesn’t appear to be much different. Last offseason, they gave veteran Grady Jarrett a surprisingly big deal to come over from Atlanta, and for the most part, it did not pan out. With Gervon Dexter Sr. heading into the final year of his rookie deal, the team is hoping the best is yet to come from him. In addition to those two, they added veteran Neville Gallimore to the mix, who should help improve depth and provide more upside than what they got from Andrew Billings in the DT3 spot in 2025. The upside isn’t high from this trio, but the hope is that better scheme fits and another year in the system will be enough to get this group firing off the ball and stopping the run.
With those three names locked in, the final spot (or two) will come down to a combination of upside and overall fit. Purely from a numbers game, I’d project five to break camp with the team, but don’t be surprised if the final number is only four. With the sixth-round selection of Jordan van den Berg and veteran minimum signings of Kentavius Street and James Lynch, it feels like a safe bet that the final spots on the depth chart will be settled.
With that in mind, Jayden Loving is an undrafted free agent from Wake Forest who, despite his impressive numbers in 2025, was just a one-year college product. None of these names stand out as anything to get overly excited about. Still, it’s clear that the offseason plan focused on scheme fits, which is crucial for Dennis Allen’s defense to operate at its full capabilities. Similar to the defensive end position, it feels like the Bears are counting on a breakout year from someone rather than actually being happy with what they have at both positions. Only time will tell if that gamble pays off.
Cornerback 2
In an ideal world, both Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon will stay healthy all year, and CB2 becomes much less of a concern. Although that is not outside the realm of possibility, recent history suggests it might not be worth betting on. Assuming that’s the case, that makes the second starting cornerback spot (and the depth behind them) that much more important.
On paper, Tyrique Stevenson is the favorite for the job. The issue for him continues to be consistency and, at times, a lack of confidence. He’s been saying all the right things leading up to camp, but once again, he was getting consistently burned in practice during OTAs and Mini-camp. Maybe the switch will flip once things start getting more competitive, but Bears fans are all too familiar with Stevenson’s inconsistencies throughout his first three years in Chicago.
With Nahshon Wright off to New York, they are hoping a combination of fourth-round pick Malik Muhammad and Terell Smith will be enough to keep competition strong. As we’ve learned over the years, banking on a rookie cornerback can be volatile, and even though Smith has shown flashes throughout his three-year NFL career, health and consistency have been lacking. There’s a level of risk heading into camp without a proven veteran option, but it’s easy to see why there’s still confidence in this group. With a healthier year, this group could easily be back in the Top 10 mix. On the flip side, if things trend closer to how they looked in 2025, they’ll need to hope there’s another Wright-level player on the roster who can produce big plays over the course of a long season.
