Whenever teams get into the 2026 NFL draft, they make decisions that end up under the microscope of those in the NFL and beyond. For the Chicago Bears, as the draft nears its end, head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles are getting some backlash for not just the moves that they made but the moves that they didn’t make.
In the first through third rounds of the draft, the Bears selected safety Dillon Thieneman, center Logan Jones, right end Sam Roush and wide receiver Zavion Thomas.
While those players will certainly beef up the team’s squad, there’s still a gaping hole that they haven’t filled, and it’s a bit unexpected that they didn’t address it earlier in the process.
Ben Johnson, Ryan Poles Criticized for Leaving a Hole in the Chicago Bears’ Lineup
“What happened?” That’s a question Anthony Miller of Bears Goggles On asks in a Saturday, April 25 reaction story to the Bears’ draft decisions. He’s wondering why they didn’t take an edge earlier in the process.
“Everyone called for the Chicago Bears to address the edge rusher position going into the offseason, and after missing out on Maxx Crosby in a trade, that noise got a lot louder at the 2026 NFL draft,” Miller states in the piece.
But, after two days of the draft, the team didn’t pick an edge. Poles had to this say about why: “It wasn’t really possible to get up that high without giving up a ton. And at the end of the day, we just follow the board.”
Miller notes that Chicago Bears fans are “panicked about the edge rusher room now that they didn’t address it at all.”
Poles addressed that situation, too, amid the draft. He talked about the Bears’ decisions through day three and why and edge wasn’t in the cards.
“At the defensive line position, Book’s coming along with Dayo, Sweat, Shemar,” Poles said according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “We feel good about those guys. Obviously, we have one more day, so we can continue to add. But like what that group is and what they’re becoming, and we feel like there is some developmental upside, and like I said yesterday, with Year 2 in the system, we should be able to take the next step.”
Chicago Bears’ Edge Rusher Situation is Shaky
But, the Bears’ edge rusher situation is still shaky going into the 2026-27 season. Miller makes the point that if things don’t go well, people will point to this moment when they didn’t fill that need.
“Poles is putting all his faith in an edge-rusher room that isn’t the strongest on paper,” Miller states. “If he doesn’t get this right, there are going to be even tougher questions he’ll have to answer next offseason. Bears fans hope that Poles knows what he’s doing with the defensive line.”
In that spirit, Carter Bahns of CBS Sports gives the Bears a B- grade for their draft selections through round three.
So, the jury is lukewarm, at best, about the Chicago Bears’ draft selections, especially not getting an edge early in the process. But, considering the Bears are coming off such a strong season, let’s assume Johnson and Poles know what they’re doing and trust in them.
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