Windy City Gridiron
We’re starting on the d-line with our Chicago Bears’ training camp positional preview articles, and after looking at EDGE yesterday, today is all about the interior. While the Bears didn’t add any defensive ends this offseason (not a single one!), they did add some tackles to compete.
Grady Jarrett fought through an early injury last year and played better in the second half. He was DT3 most of last season, which is a perfect role for him, but it should come with a decrease in playing time in 2026. He played the third-most snaps on the entire d-line in 2025, and that’s with missing three games. He’s at that age (33) where even a minor setback could derail his season, so keeping him fresh and healthy should be a priority for the Bears.
Gervon Dexter Sr. is entering his contract year, and thus far, there has been no reported movement on an extension. His sacks have increased each of the past three years, but I get the feeling the Bears may let him walk after this season, unless he improves his overall play and consistency.
The Bears added Neville Gallimore on a two-year deal worth about $10 million, and the 29-year-old will look to build off his career-best 2025, where he had 38 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
“The interior of the Bears defensive line, headlined in 2025 by Gervon Dexter Sr., Grady Jarrett and Andrew Billings, was not good enough,” NFL.com’s Matt Okada wrote in a recent article detailing every team’s biggest remaining roster issue. “Chicago struggled mightily against the run and logged the sixth-lowest QB pressure rate. This spring, they replaced Billings with the equally average Neville Gallimore and added a few more depth pieces. In other words: zero improvement, as I see it. In a competitive division — where weak trenches could be a death knell — this feels like a potentially major issue.”
Either these three need to play at a much higher level in 2026, or one of the remaining d-tackles needs to step up and surprise, because this position could be a problem.
Someone needs to win the fourth spot in the rotation, but the rest of the roster is made up of rookies and league minimum-type players, so there should be a spirited battle.
The Bears traded two seventh-round picks to get into the sixth round for Jordan Ven Den Berg from Georgia Tech. He’s a fantastic athlete who plays with power, but he was a day-three pick for a reason. He needs to tighten up his technique and become more consistent.
Jayden Loving was a 2026 UDFA from Wake Forrest, and much like ven den Berg, he needs to hone his technique and become more consistent.
James Lynch has played in 71 games in his career (2020 to 2025) with 4 starts. He missed the 2023 season with a torn ACL, but played in every game the last two...
