Dayo Odeyingbo Making Ben Johnson, Ryan Poles Look Like Geniuses Amid Hot Start for Bears

Dayo Odeyingbo has been shot out of a cannon over the first three games and the faith the Chicago Bears showed in him is paying off.

Chicago Bears defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (55) on the field in the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

All offseason long, Chicago Bears edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo was one of the bigger questions marks on the entire team.

Odeyingbo had a lackluster 2025 season before his torn Achilles, and because Austin Booker had yet to fully prove himself, the Bears had a very shaky situation opposite Montez Sweat.

We assumed the Bears would make some kind of significant move to address the position. First, we figured it would be in free agency, but that move never came. Then, we figured the Bears would draft someone, but they didn't do that, either.

After the draft, head coach Ben Johnson expressed his faith in both Dayo and Booker to be better in 2026, and in his coaching staff to do a better job coaching the edge rushers up.

We thought Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles were nuts for this approach. However, thus far, Odeyingbo is making them look like geniuses and us look like idiots.

Dayo Odeyingbo's hot start

Chicago Bears defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (55) looks on during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Odeyingbo notched his second sack of the season in the Week 3 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, and with that sack, the veteran has now surpassed his sack total from last season, when he appeared in just eight games and had one.

And, according to Pro Football Focus, Odeyingbo has 11 pressures, which is one more than he had last season.

We were concerned that perhaps Odeyingbo might be at less than 100% this season, at least for the early part because that can be the case with players returning from his injury.

But watch Odeyingbo in the clip below. The veteran showed strength is not an issue as he fights through multiple Eagles offensive linemen for the aforementioned sack.

Dayo Odeyingbo 11 total pressures and 2 sacks through first 3 games pic.twitter.com/8jrLNgbm4i

— Dave (@davebftv) September 29, 2026

Dayo has also made an impact in the run game. PFF has him with three run stops, two of which came in the win over Philly.

One change we're seeing from defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is how he has deployed Odeyingbo, which might explain why he's having more success.

Odeyingbo lined up for 306 snaps outside of the tackle last season while seeing 41 over the tackle and 21 in the B gap.

Allen is distributing Odeyingbo's snaps much more evenly in 2026, with Dayo seeing 17, 31 and 58 in the B gap, over the tackle and outside the tackle, respectively.

With Odeyingbo's ability to play multiple spots upfront on a regular basis, he's helping kill two birds with one stone for Chicago, a team that also needs help in the interior.

With Austin Booker and Sweat both healthy, that frees Odeyingbo up to play more snaps inside and gives the Bears a formidable pass-rush trio in the process.