Hello, Chicago Bears fans! As I mentioned in my previous article, I am taking a comprehensive look at the Chicago Bears roster on both the offense and defense sides of the ball, from the prospective of scheme fits (Dennis Allen for the Defense and Ben Johnson for the Offense) and how the team can fill those holes with players that fit the respective scheme requirements at those positions in free agency, the NFL draft, and post-draft free agency. Today I am assessing the defensive line. Let’s get
into it!
Dennis Allen’s Scheme Requirements on the D-Line
Let’s first talk about what Dennis Allen wants to accomplish with his defensive line. To put it in perspective, putting aside the base defense (4-3 vs 3-4), Allen’s preference on the defensive line lies in between the kind of disruptive, blitz heavy penetrating schemes of a Vic Fangio or Wink Martindale and the contain-oriented, sit-back-and-cover defense of, say, a Matt Eberflus.
Dennis Allen runs a base 4-3 defense, but as we have seen in the modern NFL, the base defense is less and less relevant to the defense as it is played on the majority of snaps. Allen deploys multiple fronts, odd/even looks, bear fronts, and even the “zero” look with nearly the entire defense up on the line of scrimmage. Allen frequently deploys late and at-the-snap shifts. Allen’s defense has traditionally emphasized aggression, but he prefers to get pressure with a four-man rush. While Allen blitzes much more often than Matt Eberflus did, his scheme is best described as a moderate-to-low blitz rate (20-25%, which ranks in the bottom third of the league). Allen has preferred a heavy dose of stunts/twists, but the Chicago Bears in 2025 produced one of the lower-pressure rates with stunts and twists. This is undoubtedly why the Bears are seeking to reshape their defensive line and find players who are quick and disruptive – with good speed – in order to improve that pressure rate.
Allen expects his defensive line to generate consistent pressure while setting a firm edge against the run. Just as we noted Allen’s preference for versatility at the safety position, Allen also likes versatility on the defensive line. Allen’s defense does not feature the traditional bowling ball one-technique, such as Andrew Billings, which is why the Bears have let Billings go in free agency. He wants interior defensive tackles that can hold up at the point of attack and be penetrating and disruptive against the pass – tackles with long arms and wingspans are preferred. Tackles who have speed and who can run – with 40 times below 5.0 as your benchmark, and arm length at least at 33 inches long – if not closer to 34 inches. Perhaps more important than length itself is the height-to-length ratio. Shorter defensive lineman can work in Allen’s scheme if they have long arms and long wingspans relative to their height. It allows them to get leverage against taller offensive lineman, and their quickness allows them to penetrate and disrupt against the run and the pass.
Options on the Defensive Line: Defensive Tackle
This may come as a surprise, given how often defensive tackle has been listed as a roster need for the Chicago Bears – even listed as a top need, but I don’t think the Bears are going to take a defensive tackle high in the draft. In fact, I think they wait until day 3. The reason DT is ranked high in the Bears needs is obvious – the 2025 Chicago Bears defensive line was bad at rushing the passer and bad at defending the run. However, the Bears are limited in what they can do at defensive tackle and at edge. The Bears signed Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo to significant contracts in the 2025 offseason, and there are no reasonable outs for those contracts this season. I mention Dayo here because, while he serves as a defensive end in Allen’s scheme on early downs, on passing downs, Dayo frequently shifts to the interior at the defensive tackle position.
Further, the Bears committed a second-round draft pick to Shemar Turner in the 2025 NFL draft, and he will be returning from an ACL tear. The Bears signed Neville Gallimore in free agency this offseason, and he is certainly expected to fit into the rotation primarily at the 3-tech position. They also made depth moves with Kentavius Street (a DE/DT much like Dayo), along with James Lynch, originally a 4th round pick of the Vikings and coming off a season with the Titans where he had 3.5 sacks. That said, let’s look at what the Bears could do to further fill out the defensive tackle room:
Free Agency: To say the cupboard is bare when it comes to what Dennis Allen desires to have in a defensive tackle in the remaining free agent pool is a bit of an understatement. No player really fits the length and speed profile he is looking for. If we were forced to identify a player who could help, it is a familiar name: Larry Ogunjobi. Ogunjobi is recovered from the injury that caused Ryan Poles to void the first ever defensive contract he offered as Bears GM, and he has put up some solid seasons on the defensive line since then. Ogunjobi’s 40 time in the 2017 NFL Combine was 4.97 seconds – definitely the speed profile Allen looks for, although in his age 31 season it is likely he has lost a step if not a step and a half. At 6’3” and 305 pounds, he has the height, weight profile, and he has nearly 33 inch arms – so not as long as you would like from Allen’s perspective but long enough.
NFL Draft: Zane Durant, Penn State. As I said, I think it is unlikely the Bears actually spend a high draft pick on defensive tackle in this draft. Durant is a late Day 2 – early Day 3 prospect who fits in nicely with what Allen wants in a defensive tackle in terms of his speed profile. Durant in fact led defensive tackles at the 2026 Combine in the 40-yard dash, posting a 4.75 second time. While a bit on the small side at 6’1” and 290 pounds, he has a frame that will fill out and his explosiveness is undeniable. Fast and disruptive – exactly what Allen wants from his defensive tackles.
Post-Draft Free Agency (cut candidates): DeMarvin Leal. It is difficult to identify likely cuts at this point, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have a crowded room at defensive line, and DeMarvin Leal hasn’t done much, and thus could be looking to restart his career, and may have to if the Steelers draft a tackle this year. Like Durant, he is somewhat undersized, but he posted a 5.0 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine, and while he is shorter at 6 feet tall, his arms were 33 ¼ inches, giving him a length-to-height ratio that is closer to the Allen ideal. Arik Armstead is another cut candidate, currently with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he was slower than what Allen likes at defensive tackle coming out of college.
What do you think the Bears should do at the defensive tackle position? Tell us in the comments!
