No team in the NFL is perfect. With the way that the hard salary cap is in place, nothing is set in stone from year to year in terms of what a team’s overall production will be. Even the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks lost some very important players who must now be replaced.
For a team like the Chicago Bears, they have to battle replacing those that they lost, in addition to shoring up any areas of weakness that were already in place. Whenever you don’t win the Super Bowl, you must ask why.
Last summer, between the NFL draft and free agency, the Bears added All-Pro Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson and rookie Ozzy Trapilo to their offensive line. With Darnell Wright already in place, they made a major improvement from the year prior.
However, Trapilo is going to miss most of the 2026 season after rupturing his patellar tendon in the wild-card playoffs, and Dalman retired just one year into his contract at 27 years old. These unexpected twists make the offensive line a point of emphasis.
When the offensive line was playing well, the impact they had on the game was obvious. Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked just 25 times, including the postseason, the Bears had the third-best rushing attack in the league and they had a top-10 scoring offense.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, finding help at left tackle and/or center to replace the injured Trapilo and retired Dalman must be at the top of general manager Ryan Poles’ to-do list. It might be difficult to find two legit upgrades at both spots, but these are the positions to be scouting the most.
It isn’t all about the offensive line, either, when it comes to the Bears. They don’t have a good enough defensive line if they want to take that next step and possibly win the Super Bowl. Montez Sweat has not been much better than “fine” during his time in a Bears uniform, but he needs help.
Chicago led the NFL in takeaways (33) and interceptions (23) in 2025, despite having one of the worst pass rushes. That simply won’t happen again. The team’s linebackers and defensive backs were opportunistic, but they need to create a better rush; otherwise, that number of takeaways will plummet.
An edge rusher and an interior lineman would both help the Bears. Attacking the quarterback needs to improve, but Chicago could also use someone to help shore up the run defense. Drafting this area of the field is a must, perhaps even more than the replacements on the offensive line, but it’s close.
The point is that the trenches should be the targets for Poles and his staff. It’s hard to see the Bears, with Ben Johnson’s influence heavily involved, drafting all offensive or defensive linemen, but it is a priority. Maybe they draft another wide receiver or running back at some point, but it can’t be at the expense of their biggest needs, which come in the trenches.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears must attack the trenches in 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by Vincent Parise, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
