The Chicago Bears have released their first unofficial depth chart of their 2026 training camp, and while most positions are as expected, the hierarchy of their starting edge rushers has turned a few heads ahead of their preseason opener.
To the surprise of no one, the Bears listed veteran Montez Sweat — their highest-paid defensive player — as one of their starting defensive ends on their first depth chart, but they also placed veteran Dayo Odeyingbo in the other starting role over Austin Booker.
Odeyingbo is also one of the Bears’ highest-paid defenders, having signed a three-year, $48 million contract with them in 2025 free agency, but the 26-year-old is coming off a disappointing first season in Chicago. He recorded just one sack and 15 pressures in eight games before tearing his Achilles and landing on season-ending injured reserve.
Meanwhile, Booker showed modest improvement from his rookie season despite an injury slowing him in camp and holding him out for the first seven games of the season. He tallied career-highs in sacks (4.5), pressures (29), quarterback hits (12), tackles (35) and defensive snaps played (521) over 10 games, adding another sack in the playoffs.
From a financial perspective, Odeyingbo makes more sense as the starting choice for the Bears, but whether the depth chart changes between now and the end of camp will be worth monitoring as Chicago sorts and slashes down to its initial 53-man roster.
Bears Could Have Other Plans for Dayo Odeyingbo
Some fans won’t love the thought of Odeyingbo holding the No. 2 edge rusher role for the Bears, even if it is only their first unofficial depth chart of the preseason. That said, they may have other plans in store for their $48 million defensive lineman in 2026.
According to multiple Bears beat reporters, the team has regularly worked Odeyingbo — who is 6-foot-5 and 282 pounds — inside with its defensive tackles over the first three weeks of training camp. The mix-and-match with Odeyingbo has freed up the Bears to play Booker and get all three of their top edge rushers on the field at the same time.
“During an end-of-half situation, DL Dayo Odeyingbo was lined up inside with Austin Booker to his right,” 247 Sports’ Bears Report wrote on X about August 8’s practice.
The Bears tried something similar with Odeyingbo’s alignment in 2025, but the timing of Booker’s early-season knee injury and Odeyingbo’s season-ending Achilles tear prevented them from putting the all-three strategy into action during the campaign.
Perhaps Chicago can make it work in 2026, even if Odeyingbo gets the starting nod for their Week 1 season opener against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, September 13.
Austin Booker Has Breakout Potential for Bears in 2026
The Bears might have incentive to start Odeyingbo — who carries a $20.5 million cap hit in 2026 — over Booker at their second defensive end spot, but they also have every reason to let them fight it out in camp, given how strong Booker finished in 2025.
Booker seemed like an edge rusher on the cusp of a breakout down the stretch of 2025, notching 3.5 sacks, six quarterback hits and three pass deflections in the final four games of the regular season. He also left more sacks on the table, including a few taken away because of roughing the passer penalties (both called after hits on Jordan Love).
While Booker no doubt needs to be more careful to avoid costly penalties, the 23-year-old enters his third season with the Bears in a position to break out as an impact starter off the edge. He might even force the team to relegate Odeyingbo to backup and interior duties if he makes the most of his snap share early in the season — and stays healthy.
The timing would work out nicely for the Bears if Booker looked like a capable starter by the end of the 2026 campaign. They have major decisions to make about both Sweat and Odeyingbo during the 2027 offseason. While both are under contract until 2028, the team could shake up its defensive line if it struggles to rush the passer this season.
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