Among the more perplexing omissions from the Chicago Bears‘ offseason roster moves was a player to supplement what was already a weak edge rush in 2025, but early signs are that the team may have had a couple of aces up its sleeve all along.
Over-indexing on preseason play is a precarious path in the NFL, but it is impossible, and also arguably irresponsible, not to pay some attention to what Bears defensive end Jamree Kromah accomplished during Chicago’s summer opener on Saturday, August 15.
Kromah tied for the league lead in total pressures during the first week of the preseason, tallying six of them, per Ryan Fowler of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Bears Already Asking Good Deal From Injured DE Montez Sweat
GettyDefensive end Montez Sweat of the Chicago Bears.
Yes, Kromah accomplished that mostly against offensive line reserves for the Cleveland Browns, and likely on more snaps than he is liable to see if he becomes a regular part of the rotation on the Bears’ front line once the games that actually count begin.
But Chicago’s lack of pass-rushers in general, and off the edge specifically, is a weakness that is hard to overstate. The Bears were among the league’s worst in pass rush win rate and quick pressures in 2025. And Montez Sweat, who led the defense with 10 of its 35 total sacks last season, is currently injured — though head coach Ben Johnson said Saturday that he expects Sweat back at practice at some point during the coming week.
Assuming health, the Bears are counting on full seasons in 2026 for both Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo, who missed seven and nine games with injury in 2025, respectively. Booker should add juice to the edge-rush on obvious passing downs, while Odeyingbo will rotate inside on several such plays in an attempt to generate more pressure up the middle.
But even if Booker takes another leap in Year 3 and Odeyingbo plays up to the level of his $48 million contract, the Bears still have minimal depth in the position group that will make withstanding any meaningful injury or performance setback difficult.
Furthermore, injuries to safety Coby Bryant and nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon have already severely diminished Chicago’s strategy of building out the secondary into one of the top back-line units in the NFL in order to protect against a weak pass rush for a second consecutive year.
Bears Have Chosen Not to Add to Pass Rush in Free Agency
GettyDefensive end Jadeveon Clowney of the Houston Texans.
The Bears had multiple opportunities to add veteran help off the edge staring them in the face during free agency, but have chosen not to pursue any as of yet.
Their options are thinner now, after Jadeveon Clowney reunited with the Houston Texans, Cameron Jordan returned to the New Orleans Saints and Za’Darius Smith came out of retirement to play for the Browns.
Chicago could still pursue a player like Von Miller or Kyle Van Noy. However, if Kromah plays well enough to round out the position group, the Bears could save money by going with the undrafted DE who came out of James Madison in 2024.
Kromah is playing on a one-year deal worth just over $1 million, none of which is guaranteed. The 26-year-old, who started his career as a practice squad player with the New England Patriots before joining the Bears for the first time in October 2024, has yet to play a regular season snap in the NFL.
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