The Chicago Bears have not overhauled their edge-rusher position in the manner that fans thought they would in 2026, but a renowned NFL insider expects that they will still make a splash on one of the top available veteran free agents.
The Bears have positioned themselves to run things back in 2026 with all of the same pass rushers that occupied their rotation in 2025, including Dayo Odeyingbo and 2025 second-round pick Shemar Turner — who each missed half of the season with injuries.
The plan — or, rather, the hope — is that the Bears’ pass rushers will naturally improve in the second year of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s system, if they stay healthy. It is a weighty gamble, though, for a unit that finished with the second-worst pass-rush win rate (29%) and fourth-worst pressure percentage (28%) in 2025, per ESPN.
Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer seems to think that former New Orleans Saints three-time All-Pro pass rusher Cam Jordan is still in the cards for the Bears, though.
Asked which teams he “expect” will sign two of the top remaining free agents — Jordan and wide receiver Tyreek Hill — Breer did not hesitate to connect Jordan to the Bears.
“Give me the Bears for Jordan,” Breer wrote May 13, “and the Chiefs for Hill.”
Cam Jordan Made 7 Pro Bowls Under Dennis Allen
Jordan has been frequently linked to the Bears in free agency for more reasons than just that he is one of the top veteran pass rushers available on the market ahead of OTAs.
While Jordan has spent his entire 15-season career in New Orleans, he played his best football in the 10 seasons that he overlapped with Allen as his defensive coordinator, recording double-digit sacks five times under the Bears’ second-year defensive leader.
Jordan also made seven Pro Bowls — including six straight seasons from 2017 to 2022 — and earned All-Pro recognition (twice as a second-teamer) three times under Allen.
The Bears couldn’t reasonably expect Jordan to re-achieve his Pro Bowl-caliber of play if they signed him ahead of his age-37 season in 2026, but he would add some needed juice after tallying 10.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 36 pressures in 2025 for the Saints.
Dennis Allen Downplayed Cam Jordan Reunion Talks
NFL insiders might be on the same page as Bears fans about Jordan’s potential fit with Allen in Chicago, but Allen himself downplayed the possibility of a reunion in 2026.
“My experience with [Jordan] was outstanding,” Allen said May 9 when asked about him during rookie minicamp. “Cam is going to be a Hall of Fame player — is a Hall of Fame player. I don’t know that there’s been a ton of discussion about [bringing him to Chicago]. I think we feel pretty good about where we’re at and what we have. And yet, you never know what opportunities might present themselves down the road.”
Translation: Jordan is a great player, but he doesn’t suit the Bears’ plans — for now.
Jordan’s expected price tag could be a hurdle for the Bears. While Spotrac projects that Jordan will sign a deal worth less than $7 million annually, his late-stage availability in free agency could make him a popular veteran target in the pre-training camp period. Even if his price settles at about $7 million per season, the Bears have cap constraints, with just $11.3 million available in cap space before signing their 2026 draft class.
There is also a matter of fit. Bears fans are not enamored with the team’s plans to reload with the same pass rushers in 2026, but Allen has taken the lion’s share of the blame for the pass-rush failings in 2025 this offseason and consistently expressed confidence in the growth that he saw from Odeyingbo and Turner before their injuries took them out.
If the Bears feel that Austin Booker can also take the next step opposite Montez Sweat and grow into their No. 2 edge rusher in 2026, then signing Jordan isn’t too sensible.
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