Bears reportedly eyeing obvious move during 2026 NFL Draft that all fans want originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There's a lot that can happen during the 2026 NFL Draft, but it'd be rather surprising to see the Chicago Bears pass on a defensive player. The Bears have shown that they need to improve on the defensive side of the football, and finding a young edge rusher who can pair with some of the veterans on the defensive side of the football could take this team from being one of the best in the NFL to the best in the league when things go as planned.
The Bears were very good last season but are still looking to improve, and there are a lot of ways for them to do that in the draft. From the sound of things, one of them will be finding an edge rusher.
“Since acquiring Montez Sweat three years ago (Sweat turns 30 in September—time flies), Chicago has been looking for his bookend. With the sorts of big, long ends that Dennis Allen likes, with Auburn’s Keldric Faulk and Missouri’s Zion Young possibly available, this could be the year they find one.
"Left tackle is another spot to keep an eye on. The team really liked Ozzy Trapilo as a rookie, but he tore his patellar tendon, throwing his future into flux (and making his ability to play at all in 2026 uncertain) and pushing the team to bring back Braxton Jones for another run and take a flier on former first-rounder Jedrick Wills Jr. So given what GM Ryan Poles and HC Ben Johnson typically value, it’d hardly be a shock for the Bears to pick up another potential long-term answer at the position,” Albert Breer wrote.
The only problem here for the Bears is that they aren't exactly in a prime spot to land an elite edge. That doesn't mean they can't develop one into a very good player eventually, but if the Bears were about four to five picks higher, they'd probably find themselves in a better position.
Dolphins' new regime expected to show traits during 2026 NFL Draft
Saints need to hope that Ohio State star falls in draft to give Tyler Shough a perfect option with Chris Olave
Browns ‘believe’ to be taking Ohio State star with No. 6 pick to help Shedeur Sanders
Jets not only looking for star edge rusher, but someone to pair with Garrett Wilson
Puka Nacua situation expected to have an impact on Rams draft decisions
49ers GM John Lynch will get trolled in the future if his NFL Draft plan doesn’t work