LAKE FOREST, Ill., — If there's a constant theme that's reverberating out of Halas Hall this offseason, it's that the Chicago Bears believe that the pass rusher can take a step forward in 2026 with players already on the roster.
Heading into the offseason, a major task for the Bears was improving the roster's ability to chase opposing quarterbacks. The trio of Austin Booker, Montez Sweat, and Dayo Odeyingbo found some success last year, but production never really equaled a return on investment. Instead, the defense was forced to deal with an inconsistent pass rush that significantly altered every level of the defense, including the linebackers and secondary.
"We'll know everything when the pads come on," said head coach Ben Johnson. "Right now to evaluate offensive line and defensive line play is a little bit fools' gold. You always fall in love with some guys in the spring time, and that always changes."
While the Bears sniffed around potential upgrades throughout the spring, the franchise ultimately decided to run it back with Sweat, Booker, and Odeyingbo, setting the stage for what will be a big 2026 season. From a mental standpoint, there already appears to be progress being made but there's still a lot of work ahead for Chicago's pass rush trio.
"I'm really pleased with the teaching progression," said Johnson. "I've been able to sit in some meetings. I love how the coaches are going about their business. I like how the players are responding to it right now. We're all on the same page. We're speaking the same language, and that's always a good starting point."
For a coach who has developed a reputation for being stoic but never putting a ceiling on how good the roster can be, Johnson knows the pass rush can still improve. He also knows the Bears need more out of players like Sweat, who enters the third year of a four-year, $98M deal signed in 2023, has a big year ahead of him to prove that he can be the face of Chicago's defense.
"He's mixed in with the rest of those guys, just in terms of as a whole," said Johnson. "We didn't feel like our get off was very good, so we're looking to improve that across the board, we feel like if we can, we can improve our get off up front, that that's going to help apply more pressure to the quarterback. So he's part of that equation as well."
The belief is that more urgency from players and coaches will lead to improved results, including another year in Dennis Allen's system.
"Year two of this defense, I think things will slow down for our guys from a thinking aspect, and so we'll be able to play faster," said Johnson. "That's what I'm hopeful for him [Montez Sweat], along with the rest of those guys up front."
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