The Bears will end March and hit the April draft runway still with two pressing needs.
Defining "pressing needs" is necessary because those with agendas will twist it to suit their desires.
A pressing need is something insufficient to such an extent to be very evident if they lined up tomorrow and played a game.
It's very easy to go through their needs and find the one missing the most.
The first and most obvious place to look is running back but D'Andre Swift is an NFL veteran starter, highly paid and very versatile. They have a power presence in Roschon Johnson, as well. While they'd benefit greatly from a bellcow type back or from someone with speed/power combination, they could win football games without adding one.
Of course, as stated, getting another one would benefit them greatly and enhance Ben Johnson's play-calling ability.
.@DAndreSwift breaks free for a 36 yd TD!
📺: #LARvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/GneMI2LP2i
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 29, 2024
So it's close, a real desire. It's not a need.
Their offensive line lacks tackle depth but the first five could line up and be the five for opening day, provided Braxton Jones' broken ankle heals.
It's never safe to assume healed injuries but no one has a career-threatening broken ankle unless they have other issues involved like with Kyle Long's torn ankle ligaments in 2016.
Unless you want to stack the box whenever anyone condenses, Mike Green is probably not going to be able to play in every package in a 4 down system.
He'll have to come off the field against any 12 personnel for that reason. He needs to be outside. Not a Bengals fit. pic.twitter.com/hF0Kj1brMD
— Max Toscano (@maxtoscano1) March 26, 2025
Jones' was reported by the Bears as a broken bone, and nothing more. With the cast off now, he could easily be on the field in minicamp if they pushed it and training camp isn't until six weeks later.
Still, a pressing need is if they lined up tomorrow. Time is going to solve this need but to play a game tomorrow the Bears would need to find a left tackle in the draft and start him immediately or train him. There is no real option at the position beyond Kiran Amegadjie, who barely has the experience playing there that a drafted rookie will have.
Braxton Jones isn't perfect, but this is a good start to a career for an OT.
Recent Top 15 overall picks who ranked behind Jones in 2024 via PFF:
-Joe Alt
-Andrew Thomas
-JC Latham
-Ikem Ekwonu
-Taliese Fuaga
-Evan Neal
-Olu Fashanu
-Broderick Jones
These top 15 picks graded… pic.twitter.com/RroUILiNAk
— Nick Whalen (@_NickWhalen) March 28, 2025
The other pressing need is greater because the Bears have addressed it already and it's still there.
It's not that the player they brought in is a poor player, he just is a different type at the position than they need. They needed him, but need someone else.
It's obviously an edge rusher.
Dayo Odeyingbo cost them plenty to sign and has pass rush ability but the selling point with him is he is an ideal system fit as a defensive end who is big and stout against the run, but also will apply heat in the passing game if necessary.
Montez Sweat is a big, fast man.
It's just a bootleg, but his length & speed feels that much scarier on these chasedowns. Can't imagine Bryce expected to get hit on this play. pic.twitter.com/CZdpuqM9JF
— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) November 13, 2023
He is not the sheer terror coming off the edge in an obvious passing situation, someone who could be called the ideal complement to keep teams from always putting double teams on Montez Sweat.
Odeyingbo the Dennis Allen every down defensive end, but not the rotational pass rusher who pops for eight to 10 sacks in limited numbers of reps.
They need that guy. They have candidates.
They have Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson and Daniel Hardy.
This is like giving the keys for your brand new car to your 10-year-old and telling him to go take it out for a spin but leave it for you in the driveway.
Booker showed great athletic ability in a year with 283 play reps on defense. His 1 1/2 sacks was exactly what Robinson got in 2022 as a rookie for 550 reps. Robinson has had half a sack since then. Hardy isn't a drafted player and is 240 pounds. For that matter, Robinson and Booker aren't 250 and in the last 6-plus years of Dennis Allen's defense, no defensive end, rotational or otherwise, played at less than 260.
🚨OFFSEASON: Bears DC Dennis Allen has coordinated with Pass Rush Specialist Brandon Jordan to send Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, Grady Jarrett, and Austin Booker to the University of Miami throughout the spring, focusing on pass-rush technique and finishing at the quarterback. pic.twitter.com/9z0PSpMKjf
— Good Faith 🇺🇸 (@good_faith18) March 22, 2025
Car keys, meet the kids.
Someone has to come in and spell Odeyingbo and Sweat.
The defensive line operates with at least four edge rushers in a rotation. Considering part of Odeyingbo's attraction—and one they plan to use—is how he can rotate to tackle in pass rush situation, it only underscores how drastically they need upgrade to another edge rusher in this draft and as soon as possible.
Dayo Odeyingbo Tape Thread - just a selection vs Texans last year, Rushes from Right End, Left End & 3 Tec in 1 game, Right end vs Tunsil...
Clip 1 hesi-move, double hand swipe pic.twitter.com/isgA8WGNed
— Bearlissimo (@Bearlissimo1) March 10, 2025
Who and whether it's Round 1 or 2 will depend on the draft board ranking and the fit for their scheme.
Considering how very few players from Day 3 of the draft ever come in and become immediate starters or key contributors as rookies on the defensive line, it better be Day 1 or 2 and better yet Rounds 1 or 2.
The embarrassing part of this all is how the Bears have utterly neglected what is possibly the most important defensive position over the years on draft day.
Dayo Odeyingbo is still figuring things out as a pass rusher but the raw potential is there. So powerful at the point of attack pic.twitter.com/xSvnADtPeU
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) August 15, 2022
They have not drafted an edge player higher than Round 5 since Ryan Pace took first-rounder Leonard Floyd in his second of seven drafts back in 2016. There have been eight drafts held since then and the Bears did not take a single edge player in Rounds 4 or higher.
And how did the Philadelphia Eagles win that Super Bowl in February, again?
Give the entire Eagles defensive line the Super Bowl MVP
pic.twitter.com/5LVt3Bjajl
— PFF (@PFF) February 10, 2025
The real problem the Bears face with this position is not qualified players but fitting the draft slot. Most mock drafts don't have a player draftable coming within four to six spots of where the Bears select. The NFL Mock Draft Data Base has Georgia's Jalon Walker as edge No. 2 after the consensus best, Abdul Carter. And he goes eighth in the consensus of 1,089 mock drafts they've monitored. After him, there wouldn't be another worth taking until 15 in these mocks.
Unless the Bears are prepared to move way back, their best option might very well be Round 2 and it's here where a group of bigger edge players like they utilize would be available:
Nic Scourton is a very well-rounded EDGE prospect with a high floor.
The production in 2024 wasn’t great, but a switch to a three-point stance will help lower his pad-level.
Not many guys have the processing and athletic ability to make this play 🎥⬇️ #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/s4AvoLBhne
— Alex NFL (@ajjnfl) March 29, 2025
Not sure why everyone got quiet on JT Tuimoloau.
Consistently wins with Power, technique & Instincts. Has great size & length. Can play up or down. Stops the run, can drop in coverage, pass deflection machine. Seems to impact the game in many ways especially in big moments.
6.5… pic.twitter.com/LrznCOu5bu
— The GOAT House (@GoatHouseNFL) March 29, 2025
Character concerns be damned, if James Pearce Jr. is there at 35, you sprint that card up to the podium. #Titans pic.twitter.com/DyZhr0tA70
— Drew (@IronCityFilm) March 28, 2025
Oregon's Derrick Harmon, Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku and Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. are players regarded as first-round material but would require a big trade back or a big trade up from Round 2 for the Bears to be in the running.
As much as the Bears needed to overhaul their offensive line, and did with free agent starters, and still need to add one more tackle, they definitely need to bolster pass rush potential off the edge.
Ryan Poles just walked by us!! 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/udgKv0mCZV
— Tyson Spangler 🐻⬇️ (@tyson_spangler) October 1, 2023
They're not playing a game tomorrow or any other day without finding qualified help at this position, and preferably sometime before Round 5.
Going since 2016 without drafting an edge earlier is a complete and total failure by both of the last two general managers.
Ryan Pace watching today's press conferences pic.twitter.com/ZMn2F3geLW
— Bears on CHSN (@CHSN_Bears) November 23, 2021
X: BearsOnSI