Now in his fourth year as general manager of the Chicago Bears, Ryan Poles made it his mission to finally focus on building up his offensive line after years of neglect, and after making two trades and a big free agency signing, that mission was accomplished.
The same cannot be said for the defensive line, which was nearly as bad as the O-line. The return of Andrew Billings from injury will help, and Poles did sign a couple of talented players, but the unit remains a question mark.
If no one takes a big step forward in 2025, Poles must then address the D-line in next year's free agency class. A lot can change over the next year, but there are four guys who are due to hit the open market in 2026 as of right now and would be great fits for the Bears.
1. Trey Hendrickson
Let's start with the big fish. Hendrickson is coming off of back-to-back 17-sack seasons and is demanding a new contract from the Bengals. But after massive extensions for Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, they may not have the appetite to pay another star. Hendrickson has threatened to sit out the entire year, but that's highly unlikely.
This leaves the door open for Hendrickson to play out his contract and hit free agency next March. He would then be 32 years old and wouldn't be a long-term solution for Chicago, but pairing him with Montez Sweat for three years would give Chicago arguably the most fearsome pass-rush duo in the NFC North.
2. Zach Allen
The Broncos find themselves in a similar situation to the Bengals, as they have several star players who are due for extensions soon and may have to make some tough choices. Allen, fresh off a second-team All-Pro season in 2024, is set to be a free agent in 2026 and could be a cap casualty as head coach Sean Payton continues to build a dominant offense around quarterback Bo Nix.
While not as dominant as Hendrickson, Allen's career has been on the rise and he could give the Bears an excellent DE2 option.
3. Marcus Davenport
In 2024, Davenport signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions, but an injury ended his season after just two games. He signed another one-year deal for Detroit in March, making him a free agent again in 2026.
Coming from Detroit, Davenport would have at least some familiarity with head coach Ben Johnson, but his connection to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is what really matters; he played five seasons under Allen in New Orleans. Signing Davenport would not exactly herald the return of the Monsters of the Midway, but it would make for a cheap addition of an experienced veteran.
4. Derek Barnett
Despite never quite living up to the hype of a first-round pick back in 2017, Barnett has been a steady veteran for years and just last year had a bit of a career renaissance with the Houston Texans, finishing 2024 with a 74.6 grade from Pro Football Focus. Like Davenport, Barnett would be a relatively inexpensive addition who would raise the floor of Chicago's defensive line.
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