Bears could get major leg up on NFC North with this smart addition

The Chicago Bears won the NFC North division title last season, but you would be kidding yourself if you think the Bears will have an easy road to a repeat in 2026.

The NFC North is probably the best division in all of football, with all four teams having a chance to make the playoffs this coming season. That’s not to say that the clubs don’t have their fair share of problems that could derail their chances, though.

A common theme among the Bears, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings is a questionable pass rush, and with so many veteran edge rushers still available in free agency, chances are, at least one of them will land in the North.

But will Chicago actually take a swing and sign a pass rusher as training camp inches closer and closer?

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz thinks the Bears absolutely should, urging Chicago to sign Joey Bosa to solidify its front seven.

Chicago Bears urged to sign Joey Bosa

Bosa spent 2025 playing for the Buffalo Bills and managed 29 tackles, five sacks and an impressive five forced fumbles in 15 games. He certainly isn’t the same player from his prime Los Angeles Chargers days, but he is still an effective defensive end who can help the Bears.

“Bosa had a 12.2% pass rush win rate last season, 26th among qualifying edge rushers, to go along with five sacks for Buffalo. He has played most of his career with his hand on the ground, so he’s probably the best fit for Chicago’s 4-3 base out of the top three available veteran pass rushers,” Schatz wrote.

Right now, the Bears are rolling with Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo and Austin Booker as their top three pass rushers. Sweat is fine, but Odeyingbo is recovering from a torn Achilles after logging just one sack in eight games last season. Booker totaled 4.5 sacks in 10 contests, so there is clearly potential there, but he is largely unproven.

Chicago accumulated 35 sacks as a team in 2025, so the fact that Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson seem entirely comfortable heading into 2026 with their pass rush as currently constructed is a bit alarming.

Perhaps the Bears are very confident that Booker will have a breakout season, or maybe they think Odeyingbo will make a tremendous recovery from his Achilles injury and start playing more like the defender we saw in Indianapolis.

But it still wouldn’t hurt to add Bosa — who has four double-digit sack campaigns on his resume — on a one-year contract.

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