The Chicago Bears were busy during the first week of free agency, where they added some impact players but also lose some key contributors along the way.
Among the new additions include safety Coby Bryant, linebacker Devin Bush, defensive tackle Neville Gallimore and wide receiver Kalif Raymond, as well as center Garrett Bradbury, acquired via trade ahead of free agency. The Bears also re-signed left tackle Braxton Jones, linebacker D’Marco Jackson and quarterback Case Keenum. But Chicago also lost receiver DJ Moore, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, cornerback Nahshon Wright and safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker.
While there’s still the second and third waves of free agency on the way, experts agree that Chicago had a solid start to the offseason. While the Bears didn’t quite win free agency like seasons past, they did upgrade at some key areas while not overspending ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Here’s a collection of all of the grades for the Bears’ signings through the first wave of free agency:
Pro Football Focus: B
PFF: “Bryant has developed into a solid starting safety over the past two seasons and should be a good fit for the Bears. He earned a 68.0 PFF coverage grade in 2024 and a 67.2 in 2025, powered by four interceptions and four pass breakups this past season. The one concern is that he has missed a lot of tackles, leading to a career-worst 18.7% missed tackle rate in 2025…The Bears immediately replace Tremaine Edmunds, whom they recently released, with Bush, who revived his career in Cleveland to the tune of back-to-back 79.0-plus PFF overall grades. Bush, PFF’s ninth-ranked free agent, surrendered just a 69.3 passer rating in coverage this past season, the second-best mark among linebackers. He keeps the Bears’ defense in great shape at a reasonable price point.”
CBS Sports: B
Garrett Podell: “Drew Dalman’s surprise retirement put the Bears in a bind, but they moved quickly to fill that spot with Bradbury. There’s certainly a dropoff: Pro Football Focus ranked Dalman as the NFL’s seventh-best center with a 72.6 offensive grade in 2025 while Bradbury was 29th out of 37 qualified centers with a 59.8 offensive grade.
“Coby Bryant was exactly what Chicago’s secondary needed. He’s a versatile defensive back who began his pro career as a slot corner, but Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald shifted him to safety. Bryant is one of eight safeties with seven or more interceptions (7) and 10 or more passes defended (13) in the last two seasons along with Kerby Joseph, Xavier McKinney, Calen Bullock, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Kevin Byard, Camryn Bynum and Jessie Bates III.
“Jones, if healthy, could potentially return to being a steady left tackle, but he’s coming off of a knee injury that knocked him out for the season. That’s why a flier on 2020 10th overall pick offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. made plenty of sense. Moore’s departure is a blow, but head coach Ben Johnson is savvy enough to reorient his passing game around youngsters like Luther Burden, Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland. Edmunds for Bush was great for cap space purposes, but Bush is a downgrade in pass coverage.”
Yahoo! Sports: B
Frank Schwab: “The Bears haven’t made a huge splash, but made a few additions to the defense. Devin Bush replaces Tremaine Edmunds at linebacker, and that should be an upgrade. Coby Bryant is a nice addition at safety. The Bears traded DJ Moore, but he wasn’t a big part of the offense last season and Chicago got a second-round pick for him. It seems like there could be a big move coming for Chicago, but what they’ve done so far is fine.”
NBC Sports: A
Kyle Dvorchak: “As expected, the Bears primarily addressed defense in free agency, signing safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush to three-year deals worth $40 million and $30 million respectively. Bryant, a former fourth-round pick in Seattle, slowly earned more work every year with the Seahawks. He took the field for 95 percent of their defensive snaps in his 15 games last year. Bush similarly took a while to find his footing in the NFL. He was an abject disaster on his rookie contract in Pittsburgh and things didn’t get much better during his one-year stint in Seattle. Things finally clicked in Cleveland and PFF graded him as their No. 4 linebacker. Bush held the same rank in coverage grade among linebackers, which is a massive improvement over his coverage acumen in previous seasons. It’s possible Bush’s ascendance in Celveland won’t be replicated in Chicago. At $10 million a year, it’s worth a shot.
“These moves alone wouldn’t warrant an A- grade, especially with the Bears still having a serious need at EDGE. Returning a second-round pick for DJ Moore, however, puts their grade over the top. Moore was coming off a career-worst year in most metrics and was a potential cut candidate heading into the offseason. The Bears held on to him and eventually squeezed a Day Two pick out of a receiver-deprived Bills team. It’s hard to make a better trade than that.”
Sporting News: B+
Vinnie Iyer: “The Bears remixed their secondary with Bryant and not bringing back Byard, Brisker or Wright. Bush is a big get in coverage to upgrade over Edumunds. Bradbury was a nice recovery for Ryan Poles after losing Dalman. Wills is an intriguing flyer for left tackle, too.”
Pro Football Sports Network: A-
Alec Elijah: “Chicago has taken a proactive approach to the opening phase of the 2026 offseason, making several calculated moves to reshape key areas of the roster on both sides of the ball. On offense, the Bears made a key move along the offensive line by trading with the New England Patriots for center Garrett Bradbury. The veteran presence arrives at an important time following the unexpected retirement of Drew Dalman.
“Also adding experience to their defense, Chicago brought in defensive lineman Neville Gallimore along with linebackers Devin Bush and D’Marco Jackson, who was re-signed to maintain continuity in the middle of the unit. Chicago also addressed its secondary, adding cornerback Cam Lewis and safety Coby Bryant to help stabilize a defensive backfield that saw multiple departures during the opening wave of free agency.
“One of the more notable developments of the offseason, however, was the team moving on from wide receiver DJ Moore. His departure creates additional opportunities for Chicago’s younger pass catchers to step into larger roles as the offense continues to evolve.”
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: How NFL experts graded the Bears’ free agency moves
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
