The Chicago Bears walked out of the 2026 NFL Draft with a solid haul of new players, but unfortunately didn’t address one of their biggest areas of need. General manager Ryan Poles and his staff have made a concerted effort to address the defense, as seven of their ten free agent additions target that side of the ball. The Bears then doubled down on defense in the draft after they used their first-round pick to select safety Dillon Thieneman at 25th overall. However, despite all these additions, they have not brought in a refined edge presence to bolster a line that Pro Football Focus graded as the eighth-least effective pass-rush unit last season.
Fortunately for Chicago, the outcome of the draft may have provided them with an opportunity to trade for a former top-five drafted edge presence.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton projected the Bears to trade for New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux before the draft took place.
GettyLinebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux has recorded 23.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and three fumble returns in 53 games played with the New York Giants.
Moton’s initial pitch was, “With limited cap space, the Bears acquire Thibodeaux, who’s in the final year of his rookie contract, and trade Tyrique Stevenson, a starting-caliber cornerback in the final term of his deal. Chicago can use the No. 37 pick on a new boundary defender for its secondary.”
However, now following the draft, this scenario has become even more likely. Thibodeaux is now the odd man out in the Giants’ front-seven after they added Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese to a mix that already included pass-rush specialists Brian Burns and Abdul Carter.
With New York’s abundance of edge rushers and Chicago’s need at the position, a trade would make sense, although the Giants have been sending mixed messages about his availability.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Fuels Trade Rumors Despite Giants Being Reportedly Reluctant
Adam Schefter posted on X that, “Despite drafting Arvell Reese, the Giants do not intend to trade DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, per source.”
Head coach John Harbaugh also emphasized this stance in an interview after the draft, stating, “No. No. We keep all the good players as much as we can, right? We love Kayvon.”
While the Giants seem actively against the idea of moving on from their former first-round pick, it wouldn’t be the first time this offseason they made one claim and then changed their tune. The team gave a very similar sentiment before they ended up trading star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Harbaugh even stated in an interview on April 7 with SNY about potentially moving on from Thibodeaux, “Everybody’s tradable. Everybody.”
So never say never if the takeaway. Everyone has a price, and the Bears are currently the top trade candidate. There were rumors about the New Orleans Saints attempting to land Thibodeaux, but they opted to trade for Tyree Wilson from the Las Vegas Raiders instead.
Thibodeaux even fueled trade rumors himself after posting a meme on social media from the Fast and the Furious movie franchise, in which he appeared to say goodbye.
At the end of the day, actions will speak louder than words, but if Chicago chooses not to pursue a new pass rusher, the situation does open up a great opportunity for one of their current players to break out.
Chicago Bears Betting On Austin Booker Breakout In Year 3
GettyChicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker recorded 35 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 10 games in 2025.
Bears defensive end Austin Booker ranked third in sacks on the team last season, despite missing seven games. Now entering his third season, the Bears appear to be betting on his improvement and ability to anchor their line.
Ben Johnson spoke on Booker’s potential following the draft. “I think you saw tremendous growth from Booker when we were finally able to get him back,” he said. “The combination of us being able to coach better and those guys taking the next step as part of this system, I think we have some pretty good pieces to work with.”
When Booker has been on the field, he has shown plenty of promise, and while Chicago could certainly use another option at edge, it appears as though they are comfortable and confident in what they already have.
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