The Truth Behind The Chicago Bears’ Draft: Why Edge Rusher Was Never A Priority

If you asked fans or local media members what the Chicago Bears‘ biggest need was going into the 2026 NFL draft, a large majority of them probably would’ve said edge rusher. Outside of Montez Sweat last year, the Bears were painfully ineffective at that position. Austin Booker missed half of the season with a knee injury. Dayo Odeyingbo tore his Achilles and missed 11 games. Shemar Turner tore his ACL and wasn’t overly effective even before that. Everything pointed to this draft being the one where the Bears had to find help.