INDIANAPOLIS -- After finalizing his coaching staff, the first line of business for Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson and his coordinators was discussing the traits and characteristics they need from players who would best adapt to the staff's recent overhaul.
A significant portion of those players are already on the roster, but after reviewing those who wouldn't fit Johnson's idea for the offense and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's vision, the team began making cuts ahead of this week's combine.
The release of veteran defensive end DeMarcus Walker saved the Bears $5.25 million against the salary cap and created an opening for a starting pass rusher. It's among the top positions Chicago is focusing on at the combine as it evaluates draft prospects. It will also be a target in free agency, which begins in two weeks.
For the first time since 2022, the Bears didn't come into the combine with the No. 1 overall pick. Chicago traded the draft's top choice to the Carolina Panthers in 2023 and used it to select Caleb Williams in 2024.
While now set to draft at No. 10 and armed with $76.2 million in cap space, according to Roster Management System, Chicago general manager Ryan Poles is able to focus on a position of significant need: the defensive line.
"I think the clearer the vision, the more aggressive you can be, and that's important," Poles said. "You want to be selective in free agency ... but if there are certain players that kind of hit all the checked boxes that you need, there's really no reason to hold back. I feel like you can be aggressive in those situations."
One season after adding Montez Sweat at the trade deadline and giving him a four-year, $98 million contract, the Pro Bowl defensive end totaled 5.5 sacks as Chicago's lead rusher in 2024. While the Bears' pass rush showed improvement in sacks (from 30 in 2023 to 40 in '24), sack percentage (from a league-worst 4.6% to 7.1%) and quarterback hits (from 92 to 100), its ability to affect opposing quarterbacks still needs work.
The strength of the 2025 draft class is rooted in the defensive line. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has seven defensive linemen/pass rushers projected as first-round picks in his latest mock draft. While Kiper projected the Bears to take an offensive lineman with the 10th overall pick in two mock drafts, most recently pegging Ohio State's Josh Simmons to replace Braxton Jones at left tackle, Poles didn't rule out the possibility of using free agency and the first round to find Sweat's running mate on the D-line.
"There's a strategy to that," Poles said. "I would probably argue and say if you get a good pass rusher and you draft a pass rusher, you can't have enough good ones.
"You want to see how you could put the puzzle together where you can kind of fill all the needs perfectly. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't."
Poles referenced the Philadelphia Eagles' pass rush dominating Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes with six sacks in their Super Bowl LIX win. The Eagles were led by pending free agent Josh Sweat with 2.5. Haason Reddick, Malcolm Koonce and Khalil Mack highlight the other top pass rushers available, but it's hard to see some of those names being a fit in Chicago.
For starters, Poles' first major move as general manager was trading Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022. Koonce, at 27, missed his contract season in Las Vegas with a knee injury.
As it pertains to edge rushers, the buzz in Indianapolis continues to center on Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who requested a trade earlier this month. Browns general manager Andrew Barry said Tuesday that Cleveland's stance on Garrett has not changed.
"We can't imagine a situation where not having Myles in this organization is best for the Browns," Barry said.
But should that change, Chicago may be one of a few teams that could actually pull off a trade for the defensive end who totaled 83 pressures, 14.5 sacks, 28 quarterback hits, and a pressure rate of 18.4% in 2024. The Bears own a top 10 pick and have two second-round selections, including Carolina's pick at No. 39.
Garrett's $25 million salary is slightly above what the Bears paid Sweat based on average annual value, and he's under contract through the 2026 season.
While still early, the discussion of types of players the Bears hope to target on defense is one Johnson has had frequently with his coaches. And it all comes back to the same principle: get after the quarterback.
"Talking to (Dennis Allen) has been very enlightening, because we share the same mindset when it comes to defensive football which is we want to affect the passer," Johnson said. "There's a lot of ways to do that. Certainly, up front the pass rush is the primary thing you think of but also on the back end, it's challenging the receivers and disrupting the timing. So when we look at guys that are available, absolutely, we want to upgrade the pass rush and we also want on the backend to come up and lock down receivers as well. So it's the fine balance and marriage between the rush and coverage that we are looking to augment."