Chicago Bears Mock Offseason: Post Free-Agency Edition (includes Free Agent Grades)

My last two mock offseasons included grades for the LG Joe Thuney, RG Jonah Jackson, and DT Chris Williams transactions. There are now a bevy of additional deals to address. So here goes!

Note that terms aren't yet available for additional announced signings -- when the terms are available, I'll provide grades for the signings of DT Grady Jarrett, TE Durham Smythe, S Tarvarious Moore, and LS Scott Daly.

Bears sign C Drew Dalman to a 3-year, $42M deal with $28M guaranteed

The first big move of the legal tampering period was a terribly kept secret, but that won't impact this evaluation. The options at center were as follows:

1. Bring back Coleman Shelton.
1. Shelton was solid after a brutal September last year, so this option could've worked. Not ideal.
2. Rely on Ryan Bates to be healthy and good.
1. Bates has played 140 snaps over the last two years combined. I should only speak well of former Nittany Lions, but depending on Bates to play 1,000 snaps seems foolish.
3. Sign Dalman.
4. Draft a new starting C.
1. This option traditionally yields poor results. Last year's top C prospect, Duke's Graham Barton, struggled in Tampa Bay. The prior year's top C prospect, Minnesota's John Michael Schmitz, had a dreadful rookie year despite being 24.
5. Move Jackson or Thuney to C.
1. This plan stinks, especially moving an elite LG (Thuney) out of position.

In my opinion, there was precisely one palatable option for the 2025 Bears. With apologies to Cody Whitehair and James Daniels, the Bears have largely gotten either average or terrible production at C since Olin Kreutz left town. Dalman can move. Dalman is experienced. He is arguably the best C in the league when leading an outside zone rushing attack. He is the perfect fit for Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson's rushing attack.

Dalman's pass blocking grades were average this year, but he's showing growth in that area. If he combines average pass blocking with top-of-the-league run blocking, he's a massive win for the roster.

Surprisingly, despite a marketplace where G and OT salaries are exploding, Dalman's contract came in very much in line with the existing market with a two-year guarantee at sensible dollars. Incredibly, Dalman would leave only $2M of dead cap hit in 2027 if he was cut before that season.

Grade: A-

Bears sign DE Dayo Odeyingbo to a 3-year, $48M deal with $32M guaranteed

Odeyingbo is a nice addition to this team and he's the right kind of player to target in free agency. He turns 26 in September, he has a solid pedigree as the 54th pick in the 2021 draft, and he appears to be an ascending player with improving pass rush production and increasing snap counts each year.

That said, Odeyingbo's overall production has been that of a low-end DE2, so this is a significant bet on pedigree, growth, and fit in Dennis Allen's system. It's also likely that Odeyingbo's best role is as an early-down DE who kicks inside to DT in obvious pass rushing sets. Odeyingbo's deal sees $4.5M of dead cap in 2027, hardly an unforgiveable amount if he plateaus or regresses. I dislike the backloaded nature of his deal as the 2025 cap hit of just $8M skyrockets to $20.5M and $19.5M in the two years that follow.

More notably, it's hard for me to reconcile the decision to sign Odeyingbo to this deal with the choice to jettison DeMarcus Walker and his very modest $5.9M cap hit for a player expected to do the same thing. I'm hopeful that Odeyingbo brings some fresh juice to this group and that his much longer arms create the kind of pressure on opposing offenses that Dennis Allen wants.

In the end, Odeyingbo is a sensible risk on a rather hefty deal who offers a bit to dream on. A reasonable-enough deal that gets dinged for the Walker-for-Odeyingbo nature of the move, ending up just a tick below average.

Grade: C-

NFL Draft

The free agency signings and the trades that preceded them have really opened up the draft. What does that mean? Whereas the #10, #39, #41, and #72 picks were previously expected to provide rookie starters at DE, G, and possibly DT, GM Ryan Poles now has considerably more flexibility to pursue the players he wants. Think Penn State TE Tyler Warren is the perfect fit for Ben Johnson? Great! Believe that Boist State RB Ashton Jeanty is the difference-maker that the Bears need? OK! Think that Ole Miss DE Princely Umanmielen has the highest ceiling of the 2nd round DEs but that he might not be able to play a ton as a rookie until he adds more weight? He can still be the pick.

#10: Penn State TE Tyler Warren

Am I biased in taking Warren over Jeanty? Maybe. Should Missouri OT Armand Membou be the pick instead? Maybe, but that's only because I have him pegged at RG; I don't think he projects as a LT.

Warren opens up a 12 personnel offense in a way that no other player can. He would be unbelievably fun. So here goes. If there were trade down options here, I would've taken one.

#39: Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr.

This is a good spot for Conerly, who steps in as Braxton Jones' competition at LT or Jonah Jackson's replacement at RG if Jones takes the leap. He's a great fit in a zone blocking scheme, too.

#41: South Carolina DT T.J. Sanders

Sanders reorients the makeup of the DT room in a hurry. Sanders slides into the 3-tech pipeline behind Grady Jarrett and gets to learn the ropes from an eminently successful longtime NFL stud. Those two complement Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings nicely in the rotation. This also gives rise to another move that probably needs to happen at this point.

Bears trade DT Zacch Pickens to New York Jets for #146

Pickens was a big reach at #65 two years ago and he has been a massive flop. Getting a 5th for him would be a good outcome at this point. That stinks.

#72: Oregon DE Jordan Burch

Burch combines the hulking physique that Dennis Allen wants with insane athleticism. So why is he available here? I'm not sure if he's all that good at football just yet. He looks like a great athlete playing football more so than he looks like a great football player who is very athletic.

With Odeyingbo in tow, the Bears can afford to bring Burch along a bit more slowly. He's worth the risk here. Penn State S Kevin Winston Jr. would also be a great fit here.

#146: SMU RB Brashard Smith

Smith is little. Smith is fast. Smith is never going to be an NFL feature back, but his background as a WR makes him a great addition to the Bears roster as a gadget weapon. He's a nice value here and a really fun toy for Ben Johnson.

#149: Washington State WR Kyle Williams

Williams is slight, but he is also very quick. He looks like a guy who can go 0-to-60 in a snap, something that should help him create the necessary separation in the NFL. Williams may lack the beefiness necessary to play in Ben Johnson's offense, and it might be too much to take both Smith and Williams in the same class. Nevertheless, I like the player enough to give it a shot.

#235: Wisconsin S Hunter Wohler

Wohler feels like a new-age college LB. At 6'2", 218 lbs., he's big enough to play in the box, but he's not so big as to truly play LB, especially at the NFL level. This feels like a spot to take a good player with lots of experience and enough athletic traits, then play around with his physical profile to see if he can stick at S, move to LB, or settle in as a special teamer.

#242: Maryland WR Tai Felton

I've liked Felton for months. He's surely not a game-changer given his light weight, but he is fast, explosive, and a pretty good pass catcher. He was extremely productive in 2024, too.

QB: (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, FREE AGENT

RB (4): D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Ian Wheeler, Brashard Smith

TE (3): Cole Kmet, Durham Smythe, Tyler Warren

WR (6): D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Tyler Scott, Kyle Williams, Tai Felton, FREE AGENT

OT (3): Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright, Josh Conerly Jr.

OG (4): Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, Kiran Amegadjie, Bill Murray

C    (2): Drew Dalman, Ryan Bates

DE (5): Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy, Jordan Burch

DT (5): Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, Grady Jarrett, Chris Williams, T.J. Sanders

ILB (2): Tremaine Edmunds, FREE AGENT

OLB (3): T.J. Edwards, Noah Sewell, FREE AGENT

CB (5): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Terell Smith, Kyler Gordon, Josh Blackwell

S    (5): Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens, Tarvarious Moore, Hunter Wohler

SP (3): Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, Scott Daly

Proof:

I always like to make trades throughout the draft, but sometimes the opportunities don't present themselves. That was the case here as the only trade offers were to move way down -- 20+ spots -- from #41. Given my strong desire to land an impact pass rusher, I couldn't stomach that.

No matter. These are very nice additions of talent to the roster with four big guys leading the way.

Chicago Bears Mock Offseason: Final Pre-Free Agency Preview

Prior mock offseason include solid detail of my assumptions; find the most recent one here. Since that mock, the Bears have reupped with core special teamers CB Josh Blackwell and LB Amen Ogbongbemiga on relatively modest deals expected to carry cap hits in the $2.5M neighborhood each; the Blackwell details came out during this post and he landed at a $2.375M cap hit in 2025. The club also signed Dolphins blocking TE Durham Smythe to an undisclosed deal. I'll grade those three after they are finalized.

There's one additional deal that has terms, which I'll grade now.

Bears extend original round tender to DT Chris Williams

What? For the uninitiated, an original round tender for the restricted free agent and former undrafted player means that the Bears are offering Williams a one-year, $3.263M deal; if he agrees to a deal with another squad, the Bears will have the right to match. If they don't match, Williams is gone without compensation. Importantly, this deal is not guaranteed; if the Bears subsequently cut Williams, he will leave no dead cap hit behind.

I don't understand this move at all. Betting on Williams last year was a fine gamble for a team in need of a 4th DT. Unfortunately, Williams failed the test, grading out among the worst players on the team. He's not young; he turns 27 this summer and has been rostered for four full NFL seasons. This is who he is and who he is isn't good. I hate that the RFA tender suggests even the possibility that the Bears might devote $3.263M to a player who should struggle to be the 5th DT next year, assuming a new DT or two joins the fold via the draft and/or free agency.

Thankfully, this isn't a failing move due to the unguaranteed nature of the deal. That's the only saving grace.

Grade: D-

Pre-Free Agency Cap Situation

In these mocks, I have consistently assumed that the Bears will keep $20M dry for (i) the $4.5M practice squad, (ii) about $8M needed to sign their draft class, and (iii) $10M for in-season maneuvering. Ryan Poles has largely eschewed cap shenanigans utilized by teams like Philly (yay!) and New Orleans (yikes!) during his tenure. If he's going to be active today, cap shenanigans will likely enter the picture.

What do I mean by cap shenanigans? Void years. An entirely legal way under the cap to kick the can down the road. Look no further than Philly stud DE Josh Sweat. Sweat counted $8.1M against Philly's cap during last year's Super Bowl season, a paltry sum for a plus starting DE. His contract then expired; he wasn't cut or traded. His 2025 cap hit? $16.4M, tied with retired C Jason Kelce for the 4th highest on the team. Philly has $59.9M of dead cap against their 2025 cap sheet. They went all-in and it paid off. Obviously, every other team that went all-in also watched Philly hoist the Lombardi Trophy, waking up with considerably more cap regret.

So, what does this mean for the Bears? After the big trades for LG Joe Thuney and presumed RG Jonah Jackson combined with the assumed amounts of the deals above, the Bears have allocated $244M to their 53-man active roster, assigning $840K cap holds to unfilled roster spots. Only the top-51 contracts actually count against the cap, but there aren't currently any players on injured reserve, so we'll keep the top-53 for estimation purposes.

Add in $4.1M in dead money and we're at $248.1M. Now add in the $20M for the practice squad, draft class, and in-season flexibility, and we hit $268.1M. With an adjusted cap of $284.1M, that leaves just $16M of net cap space for the entire free agent class.

"Net" is doing some work in that sentence. For example, a player signed to a one-year, $1M deal would utilize only $160K of net cap space when he kicked a minimum salary player off of the cap sheet. That helps...a little.

Back when Poles had a deal than ran through the 2026 season, I figured cap shenanigans would enter the picture for the desperate GM. The targets are relatively clear: WR D.J. Moore, DE Montez Sweat, and CB Jaylon Johnson all figure to stick around beyond 2025 and have hefty base salaries that could be converted into restructure bonuses to push cap hits down the line a bit, even without utilizing void years. Restructured deals for Thuney or Jackson could also yield space.

However, given reports last month that the GM's deal now aligns with Ben Johnson's and runs through 2029, I don't think that cap shenanigans will enter the picture. Poles has some time.

Team Needs

Obviously there are a lot of needs for a team coming off of five straight losing seasons. Here's how I see them:

1. Center. Duh. This spot has been weak or terrible for years now. Coleman Shelton acquitted himself nicely from October onward last year after a dreadful September. Could he return? Perhaps. Importantly, however, rookie centers are almost always a poor option; finding a veteran to start is a must.
2. Defensive End. I loved Austin Booker last year, but Booker remains a project. He's currently slated to start opposite Sweat with Dominique Robinson serving as his top backup. Yikes. 
3. Defensive Tackle. With Zacch Pickens looking like a whiff, this room needs a boost. 
4. Offensive Line. This is specifically a draft need assuming center is addressed in free agency. The Bears need another young player who can grow in year one and start in year two. This player needn't be a purely developmental prospect like Kiran Amegadjie, but he also doesn't need to start given the players in front of him.
5. Tight End. While not the most obvious need, the Ben Johnson offense thrives on this spot and it's worth remembering that the Lions shipped out a solid TE on his rookie deal -- T.J. Hockenson -- in favor of finding an upgrade in the draft, which they certainly found in Sam LaPorta. Cole Kmet is decent, but he's no star and he'd leave only $4.8M of dead cap behind if he was traded. I suspect he'd yield a solid return.

Free Agency Moves

Get ready for a muted Monday, Chicagoland. Poles did his major shopping last week. Unless he (i) finds a taker for D'Andre Swift and ships out all but $0.6M of his $9.3M cap hit, or (ii) engages in some heavy cap shenanigans, he's not going to have the cap space to make more than one major move. Candidly, he doesn't appear to have the cap space to play at the top of the market at almost any position. Remember that we're talking about $16M of net space with which to play. So, there won't be any Khalil Mack reunion and don't expect to see Milton Williams providing a jolt to the DT group. Instead, get ready for something like this:

1. Sign C Drew Dalman to a 4-year, $56M deal with $30M guaranteed. Dalman continues to make the most sense. He's the right style of player at a huge position of need having excelled in an outside zone system. The Bears will need Dalman to stay healthy, but he's otherwise the right fit. Shelton is truly the next best option.
2. Sign DE Derek Barnett to a 1-year, $4.25M deal with $2.25M guaranteed. I like Barnett. He's a part-time player, but the Bears desperately need at least a part-time player opposite Sweat while Booker develops.
3. Sign WR Tim Patrick to a 1-year, $1.75M deal with $1M guaranteed. Patrick is a great success story, going from undrafted rookie to Broncos starter to a 3-year, $35M extension to a torn ACL followed by a torn Achilles to the Lions practice squad and finally back into the lineup. What does he have left in the tank at age 31 following a pair of significant injuries? Who knows? At this cost, though, he works.

If that doesn't feel gaudy, that's fair. But this is what $17.5M of net cap spending looks like, going a tick over the $16M estimated. Yikes!

Draft

This team still needs help. Time to go find it. Remember: if Penn State DE Abdul Carter or Michigan DT Mason Graham isn't there at #10, I'm trading down, if possible.

Chicago trades #10 and a 2026 6th to Houston for #25, #57, #89, #126, and a 2026 2nd

Woof. #10 to #25 is tough to stomach. But this was the only team interested in playing ball, so down we go in search of depth.

#25: North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel

Time to eat your vegetables. There were lots of players that looked like way more fun, but ultimately, Zabel is the ideal fit for this team. An experienced, versatile OL with arm length limitations (32") who projects as a 2026 starter at G and Dalman's successor at C. Eat. Those. Veggies.

#39: Oregon DT Derrick Harmon

This is an awfully tricky spot with the Bears in desperate need of a DE and three excellent choices available in the form of Ole Miss DE Princely Umanmielen, Texas A&M DE Nic Scourton, and Arkansas DE Landon Jackson. I landed on Jackson as my post-Combine preference whereas I've otherwise preferred the other two. Regardless, a huge addition here...eventually.

At #39, however, I'm normally targeting Texas DT Alfred Collins unless another DT slips, like Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen, Toledo DT Darius Alexander, or today's pick, Oregon DT Derrick Harmon. Harmon is a massive win for this team.

#41: Michigan DT Colston Loveland

Now, I get greedy. With Loveland surprisingly available still at #41 and all three of Umanmielen, Scourton, and Jackson on the board, take the TE and figure out the DE spot in the coming picks.

#57: Texas A&M DE Nic Scourton

And the greed pays off! Umanmielen likely has a decidedly higher ceiling, but his floor is dramatically lower than Scourton's. So, with Booker already in-house, Scourton is the pick here.

#72: Minnesota OT Aireontae Ersery

Ersery hasn't excelled in the pre-draft process, but I don't really know why. He's gigantic, moves very well, and showed out against Abdul Carter. Ersery joining the fold is bad news for ERFA Bill Murray.

There were players at more important positions of need available, but Ersery is far and away the best value here.

#89: Penn State S Kevin Winston Jr.

I still can't believe he's pegged as a 3rd rounder. He could be the best safety in the whole class!

#126: Kentucky DT Deone Walker

I considered trading up for Utah State WR Jalen Royals late in the 3rd, but he went about 10 spots before I was comfortable with the trade cost. Instead, I sat tight at #126 and was rewarded with the hulking Walker, who officially kicks Chris Williams off of the roster and can slowly come along in a newly loaded DT room. Texas S Andrew Mukuba also merited consideration here.

#149: Washington State WR Kyle Williams

Mukuba inexplicably made it here, but in the interest of legitimacy, I couldn't take him. Williams is the pick instead and his first-step quickness provides a nice jolt to the WR group.

#235: Wisconsin S Hunter Wohler

Wohler looks slow but tested surprisingly decently at the Combine. I'm not sure that he makes this roster, but he could bulk up enough to become an in-the-box chess piece for Dennis Allen.

#242: Arkansas RB Ja'Quinden Jackson

A former QB, Jackson brings athleticism and very little experience at this position. Give him some time to figure it out and see what happens.

Final Roster

The moves above yield the following roster:

Here's the assembled roster:

QB (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, FREE AGENT

RB (4): D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Ja'Quinden Jackson, Ian Wheeler

TE (3): Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Durham Smythe

WR (6): D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Tim Patrick, Kyle Williams, Tyler Scott, FREE AGENT

OT (4): Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright, Kiran Amegadjie, Aireontae Ersery

OG (3): Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, Grey Zabel

C (2):   Drew Dalman, Ryan Bates

DE (5): Montez Sweat, Derek Barnett, Nic Scourton, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy

DT (5): Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, Derrick Harmon, Zacch Pickens, Deone Walker

ILB (2): Tremaine Edmunds, FREE AGENT

OLB (3): T.J. Edwards, Noah Sewell, Amen Ogbongbemiga

CB (5): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Terell Smith, Kyler Gordon, Josh Blackwell

S (5): Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens, Elijah Hicks, Kevin Winston Jr.

SP (3): Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, FREE AGENT

Here's the PFF simulator screenshot:

There may be some controversy if the Bears drop from #10 to #25 and don't pick up an extra first-round pick. However, as this draft shows, there is superb talent available in the second round every year and those picks are insanely valuable, especially when turned into young top prospects (and not Chase Claypool or a top-of-the-market extension for Montez Sweat).

This draft was just about perfect with only the RB and LB rooms potentially feeling shortchanged.

Chicago Bears Mock Offseason: Now That the Bears Have All of the Guards...

In my last mock offseason, I wondered what it would be like if the Bears opted to avoid investing big assets in the LG and RG spots. Ha! Ryan Poles took the opposite approach this week, opting to make a pair of massive investments in Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. Before delving into a wildly revised mock offseason in light of these moves, I'll start by grading those moves.

Before I do, an essential disclaimer: there's no grade inflation here. So, a C is a perfectly average move, a B is really good, an A is elite, a D is subpar, and an F is failing.

Bears trade #198 to Los Angeles Rams for LG Jonah Jackson

There's no sugarcoating it: I hated this trade. I haven't watched most of Jackson's career, so I'm putting lots of stock in a few viewings of him at Ohio State, in Detroit, and his grades and reputation. Jackson was a relatively middling draft prospect coming out of OSU with a mediocre Combine performance that yielded a 6.43 RAS. None of this would matter if he was great in the NFL, but he's never been terribly impressive. He was a Pro Bowl alternate once in his first five seasons despite spending four of those on the elite OL in Detroit surrounding by stars like Penei Sewell, Frank Ragnow, and Taylor Decker. So, we've got five years of slightly below-average production. Not great. He was even benched by the Rams upon returning from injury this year.

(If you think looking at the RAS of a 6th-year pro is ridiculous, that's fine. But here are the other OL Poles has acquired: Braxton Jones (8.44...but with 35.4" arms!), Doug Kramer (8.49), Ja'Tyre Carter (6.31), Darnell Wright (9.68), Ryan Bates (9.54), and Kiran Amegadjie (n/a). He has a type.)

But that's before we get to the two massive downsides: health and cost. Jackson missed four games in 2022, six more in 2023 with two different ailments that caused him to miss big chunks of time, and 13 more in 2024. Yikes! And then we see that Jackson is due $17.5M from the Bears in 2025. There's some confusion on this point, but his contract is rather simple: he's due a $9M base salary that guarantees next week and an $8.5M roster bonus next week. The Bears are paying him $17.5M this year. While this isn't a top-of-the-market price, it's near that level and the Bears paid to get this contract, shipping out a 6th. I'm baffled. If the Bears wanted to avoid paying free agent pricing, that's fine...but this is free agent pricing!

There were only three plausible positives to this deal. First, it shows a commitment to the offensive line. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the reality that Jackson is worse than Teven Jenkins, just as injured as Jenkins, more expensive than Jenkins, and older than Jenkins. Woof. Second, Jackson is a LG in a market flooded with RGs, and he also had 200 snaps at C and 800 snaps at RG at OSU. Getting a LG made sense...until they got another, better LG the next day! Third, the Ben Johnson connection. Nabbing Jackson shows a willingness to find players that have a connection to Johnson. Whatever. GM Ryan Poles is supposed to be the adult in the room and get the right type of players for his coach, not an oft-injured guy on an underwater deal.

Poles' legacy of pick-for-player trades feature a couple of losses involving the offensive line, namely the 2023 6th he shipped to Miami for Dan Feeney and the 2024 5th he sent to Buffalo for Ryan Bates, to say nothing of the Chase Claypool whopper and, to a much lesser degree, what looks like a decent overpay for Montez Sweat. This one looks like the worst by a massive margin.

Original Grade: F

Updated Grade after Thuney Trade: F-

Bears trade 2026 4th to Kansas City for LG Joe Thuney

This is a more expensive trade than the Jackson trade. But this one is awesome for one key reason: Joe Thuney rules.

Thuney has been a stud since he entered the league in 2016. He has won four Super Bowls and lost two more. He was second-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2022, which is great! And it's completely overshadowed by Thuney being first-team All-Pro in 2023 and 2024. He's a star. And he's on a below-market deal, owed just $16M for the 2025 season, though the Bears would be wise to extend him for a bit.

There are three drawbacks to this deal. First, a 2026 4th is a meaningful cost to pay for what is presumably a rental player, but I think it's plenty fair. Second, Thuney is old. He's 33. Here's hoping he ages like Ruben Brown and Jason Peters instead of falling off a cliff. If he does, this deal will look even better. Third, this deal doesn't exist in a vacuum; it's yet another pick-for-player trade by Poles, and the Bears' draft capital continues to wither away.

Two other thoughts. First, I've heard some baffling talk that it's stupid for the Bears to invest at LG when the Chiefs are willing to downgrade at that spot; this is asinine considering that the Chiefs are only moving on from Thuney because of his $27M cap number in Kansas City and the new $23M cap number for RG Trey Smith. Second, the only way to for the Bears to blow this trade is to kick Thuney out to LT; let him be a star at LG.

Grade: B (remember, that's pretty darn good!)

Now, onto the mock offseason. Note that I put this together before the announcements of deals with TE Durham Smythe, CB Josh Blackwell, and LB Amen Ogbengemiga.

Free Agency

In my last mock offseason, I had the Bears at $78.3M of net cap space. So, I'll assume that the Bears entered this week with about $58.3M to spend, keeping $20M of powder dry to sign their draft class, extend Kyler Gordon, and make in-season moves. With the additions of Jackson and Thuney, the net cap space has dropped considerably, down to about $26.5M.

1. Sign DE Josh Sweat to a 3-year, $54M with $32.5M guaranteed. This move requires a tiny bit a cap flexibility that I didn't otherwise plan on, but the Bears need a real splash addition to the defense. Sweat is an ideal complement to Sweat and allows Austin Booker to come along a bit more slowly. 
2. Sign C Coleman Shelton to a 2-year, $10M deal with $6M guaranteed. It would be great to make this Drew Dalman, but I'm not sure that Poles can allocate that much cap space to the interior OL. Dalman figures to garner about $14M per year and has his own injury concerns. Shelton is no star, but he's a solid citizen, offers some continuity, and played significantly better football after a brutal September.
3. Sign WR Brandin Cooks to a 1-year, $3M deal with $2M guaranteed. Cooks has been a consistent producer for a long time, but he's nearing the end...and that's fine! He's here as WR3 if the draft doesn't break right or, ideally, WR4 if it does.
4. Sign TE Austin Hooper to a 1-year, $3M deal. TE3 ideally; TE2 if necessary.
5. Sign S Quandre Diggs to a 1-year, $3M deal. Diggs is old and hurt, but the Bears need some insurance here.
6. Sign S Jaylon Jones to a 1-year, $1M deal. Keeping a productive RFA.

Even without accounting for lower year-one cap hits and assuming equal AAVs, this free agency period uses $27.7M of net cap space assuming Sweat's signing pushes Dominique Robinson off of the roster, pushing me a tick beyond the $26.5M estimate above but this remains plenty workable. Of the new Bears, only Sweat has meaningful cap ramifications in 2026.

NFL Draft

Entering the draft, the Bears can do basically whatever they want, though the goal remains the same: get Penn State DE Abdul Carter, Michigan DT Mason Graham, or trade down.

Bears trade #10 to Denver for #20, #52, #121, and a 2026 2nd

I made this exact same trade last time. In this draft, Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan dropped, which was hugely beneficial for me.

#20: Texas A&M Shemar Stewart

Stewart didn't do much at Texas A&M, but his Combine performance puts him firmly in the first round. He's the unicorn that every team always wants. With M. Sweat and J. Sweat ahead of him, the Bears can afford to develop him in a complementary role as a rookie, putting him in favorable situations.

Bears trade #39 to Seattle for #50, #82, and a 2026 4th

This was the trickiest spot in the entire draft: both North Dakota State G/C Grey Zabel and, stunningly, Texas LT Kelvin Banks Jr. were on the board. Banks had to be the pick, right? Wrong. I got greedy with a trade and crossed my fingers that at least one of Banks or Zabel would make it to #41. Gulp.

This trade recoups the 2026 4th sent to Kansas City for Thuney.

#41: Texas LT Kelvin Banks Jr.

Zabel didn't make it, but incredibly, Banks did. He's the LT of the future. I'm not sure what he is in 2025, but perhaps he can work his way into the lineup at RG if Jackson kicks over to C. I don't love the tape on Banks and he has injury issues on his resume. But come on. This value is too good.

#50: Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams

The drawback of the trades? Everyone I liked got drafted between #43 and #49. Minnesota OT Aireontae Ersery. Arkansas DE Landon Jackson. Notre Dame S Xavier Watts. North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton. Texas DT Alfred Collins. Ole Miss DE Princely Umanmielen. OUCH!

Williams is a perfectly solid consolation prize. He's beefy yet remarkably quick at his massive size. I'm not sure about his specific fit in the defense, but Andrew Billings made no sense schematically and made himself indispensable. This will work itself out.

#52: Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo

I hate this pick and I have no idea where Skattebo is going in the draft. I do know, however, that Ben Johnson will want to run the ball like crazy and Skattebo will be a tone setter.

#72: Miami TE Elijah Arroyo

This is a great spot with four players that I really like that fit the roster really well: Penn State S Kevin Winston Jr., Arizona LT Jonah Savaiinaea, Utah State WR Jalen Royals, and West Virginia OL Wyatt Milum. But Arroyo is too enticing, despite his injury history. He can absolutely fly and take the lid off of a defense from the middle of the field.

#82: Penn State S Kevin Winston Jr.

Ultimately, Winston's draft stock took a massive hit due to his partially torn ACL in early September. But an early September partial ACL tear means that Winston should be able to play a full rookie season, bringing his massive ceiling to the roster. He's the prudent choice here, especially because there are more WRs in the coming rounds that I like.

#121: Colorado State WR Tory Horton

Horton is long and fast. He's a great addition to this WR room.

#149: Cal CB Nohl Williams

Williams had a decent Combine, but his biggest draws remain his length and kick returning ability. He's a nice addition here with little pressure to contribute early.

#235: Miami WR Samuel Brown

Brown is a great athlete. He's not a good football player yet. We'll see where this goes.

#242: UCLA Kain Medrano

Medrano is a former WR who is wildly undersized -- he needs to put on 20 pounds. But he should have a chance to contribute on special teams given his speed and explosiveness while he adds weight.

Here's the assembled roster:

QB (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, FREE AGENT

RB (4): D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Cam Skattebo, Ian Wheeler

TE (3): Cole Kmet, Elijah Arroyo, Austin Hooper

WR (6): D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Brandin Cooks, Tory Horton, Tyler Scott, Samuel Brown

OT (3): Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright, Kelvin Banks Jr.

OG (4): Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, Kiran Amegadjie, Bill Murray

C (2):   Coleman Shelton, Ryan Bates

DE (5): Montez Sweat, Josh Sweat, Shemart Stewart, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy

DT (5): Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, Tyleik Williams, Zacch Pickens, FREE AGENT

ILB (2): Tremaine Edmunds, FREE AGENT

OLB (3): T.J. Edwards, Noah Sewell, Kain Medrano

CB (5): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Terell Smith, Kyler Gordon, Nohl Williams

S (5): Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Quandre Diggs, Kevin Winston Jr., Jaylon Jones

SP (3): Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, FREE AGENT

Here's the PFF simulator screenshot:

This is probably my least favorite mock. But there's still a ton of depth additions here to a roster that desperately needs it. I get scared running mocks at this point without trades.