With the 2025 league year officially underway, the Chicago Bears have been busy in free agency, signing multiple big-name free agents in an effort to shore up the defense under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
As Chicago gets ready for Allen to take the reigns and command a unit that was solid throughout the 2024 season, general manager Ryan Poles isn’t done adding to the defense, even after signing veteran Dayo Odeyingbo to a three-year deal in free agency worth $48M along with $28.5M in guaranteed money.
Turns out that Poles wants to add even more pass rushers to the defense and there are plenty of options for the franchise to consider.
Ryan Poles Wants Waves of Pass Rushers
When speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon, Poles mentioned that even after signing Odeyingbo in free agency, he still wants to add even more players to affect the opposing quarterback.
“You want to have waves of pass rushers,” Poles said via the Bears YouTube Channel. “You can’t have enough pass rushers. We’re always looking to add and improve that group but I feel good about where we’re at today,”
When Poles says that he feels good about what the Bears currently have on the roster, he’s referencing players like Montez Sweat and Grady Jarrett, two players who’ve been playing at a high level since they entered the league.
But Poles is also confident that younger players such as Gervon Dexter can take a massive step forward in 2025, enabling the Bears defense to go from good to great.
Poles Knows Pass Rushers Will Win the Super Bowl
For a general manager who helped turn the Kansas City Chiefs into a true Super Bowl contender, Poles knows that having a deep group of pass rushers can elevate a team and ultimately, bring home a Lombardi Trophy.
And for a general manager who is trying to turn the Bears into a long-term winner, stocking the defensive line with more guys who can impact opposing quarterbacks is something the Bears could do more of.
Luckily for Poles, the Bears do have the 10th, 39th, and 41st overall selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. That means enough capital to potentially trade for a big-name pass rusher or even draft a few who will be on rookie contracts for the foreseeable future.
Drafting vs. Trading For A Pass Rusher
If the Bears are looking to seriously take another step forward on defense, the front office will likely have serious discussions about the different ways to add a pass rusher.
With four picks inside the top-75, adding a pass rusher in the draft is an option but trading for a big name pass rusher should also be in the cards.
One intriguing veteran option to keep an eye on is Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has been reported to potentially want a trade out of Cincinnati. For the Bears, Hendrickson would make sense given his previous ties with Allen, as the two were together in New Orleans from 2017-21.
But even then, for a team as young as the Bears that does need to extend some players who are currently on the roster, it’d make sense for Chicago to draft a pass rusher in order to draft and develop a player who will be on a cheap contract for at least the next four to five seasons, giving the front office some additional flexibility.
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