The first day of workouts for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine takes place Thursday. The defensive linemen — including edge rushers and defensive tackles — and linebackers participate in workouts to begin the four-day stretch of on-field events.
Thursday should be of particular interest to the Bears, as their defensive line remains arguably their biggest need going into this offseason. Their pass rush and run support were both suboptimal in the midst of a tremendous 2025 season, so elevating their front-seven
should be a priority to keep them atop the NFC North and strengthen their chances as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
With general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson among Chicago’s representatives at the Combine, here’s a look at the state of each position on the Bears’ roster, as well as my top 10 prospects at each spot in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Edge rusher
The Bears have talent at the defensive end position; they just don’t have a true difference-maker there yet.
Montez Sweat had 10 sacks in 2025, marking the second-most he’s had in a single season. The down-by-down pressure isn’t as flashy as his sack totals, but he’s still a capable playmaker off the edge who would project as a high-end EDGE2 to pair with another star.
Chicago has an intriguing defender in rising third-year edge rusher Austin Booker, who tallied 4.5 sacks in the 10 games he played after coming back from injury. He’s a quality designated pass-rusher, but his abilities working against the run are a major work in progress.
Then, you have the wild card that is Dayo Odeyingbo. One of their biggest free agent signings in last year’s offseason, he had just one sack and only 10 pressures in eight games. He was a nonfactor in the defensive execution when he was healthy, and now that he’s coming off a season-ending injury, the expectation for him to contribute should be low.
The Bears still have a massive need for another three-down edge rusher, and there’s a chance they could find one in the 2026 NFL Draft. I have seven edge rushers in my top 35 prospects for this year’s class, indicating there should be good value available for Chicago at No. 25 overall.
Top 10 edge rushers
- Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (FL)
- David Bailey, Texas Tech
- Akheem Mesidor, Miami (FL)
- Keldric Faulk, Auburn
- Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
- T.J. Parker, Clemson
- Zion Young, Missouri
- R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
- Derrick Moore, Michigan
- Malachi Lawrence, UCF
Defensive tackle
Going into 2026, the Bears have a very thin group of defensive tackles to begin with. Then, the report came out from Jordan Schultz that teams are calling in regards to a trade for Gervon Dexter, and that muddies things even more.
Granted, Dexter is a liability against the run and will be a free agent next offseason. With his inconsistency, it could be tough to warrant signing him to a massive extension, even with his being a young, athletic defensive tackle who can sack the quarterback. That report is not meant to guarantee Dexter will be traded, but assuming he stays on the Bears in 2026, he needs reinforcements around him.
Grady Jarrett didn’t live up to the hype as a pricy free agent acquisition, tallying only 1.5 sacks and ranking 71st among defensive tackles in PFSN’s DT Impact Scoring. Andrew Billings is also a free agent but ranked 114th in the aforementioned ranking.
The biggest question for Chicago along the defensive line is Shemar Turner. A second-round pick in 2025, Turner began the year at defensive tackle but switched to defensive end midway through the season. He only played in five games — two at DT, three at DE — before suffering a season-ending injury. Figuring out where he projects best could determine how aggressive the Bears are in adding at defensive tackle.
Similar to edge rusher, defensive tackle is another position that should have great value available for the Bears at No. 25. I have five interior defenders ranked within my top 32, with my DT2 through DT5 ranked in the range of Nos. 22 and 32 on my board. Domonique Orange and Darrell Jackson Jr. are both in my top 64, too.
Top 10 defensive tackles
- Peter Woods, Clemson
- Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
- Christen Miller, Georgia
- Caleb Banks, Florida
- Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
- Domonique Orange, Iowa State
- Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
- Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
- Tim Keenan III, Alabama
- Chris McClellan, Missouri
Linebacker
With Tremaine Edmunds having been given permission to seek a trade, the Bears should have an opening in their starting lineup at linebacker.
Whether it’s as a trade piece or as a cap casualty release, Edmunds stands out as a likely departure from Chicago’s starting lineup. They will save $15 million in cap space letting him go, which comes at a crucial time them, being as strapped for cap space as they currently are.
This leaves T.J. Edwards coming off a down year with a hole next to him in the starting lineup. Chicago also cut Amen Ogbongbemiga, providing additional cap flexibility but leaving them with less depth at linebacker. Noah Sewell and Ruben Hyppolite II are the top two linebackers under contract, with the likes of D’Marco Jackson and Jalen Reeves-Maybin slated to hit free agency.
Jackson fared well when he had to start, having won NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week in Week 15. However, even if he is brought back, the Bears will likely have to draft a linebacker at some point come April. Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles are both top-five players on my board, so the likelihood one of them falls to No. 25 is slim to none. However, there’s plenty of Day 2 value, as I have nine linebackers in my top 100 this year.
Top 10 linebackers
- Arvell Reese, Ohio State
- Sonny Styles, Ohio State
- CJ Allen, Georgia
- Josiah Trotter, Missouri
- Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
- Jake Golday, Cincinnati
- Harold Perkins Jr., LSU
- Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
- Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh
- Deontae Lawson, Alabama
