3 Chicago Bears Whose Roles Are in Trouble After Free Agency's First Wave

The Bears had an eventful first day of free agency. While they didn't land any big-name pass-rushers or market-setting offensive linemen, they did manage to bring in three free agents, with two of them in line to start at safety and linebacker, and re-signed two of their own in Braxton Jones and D'Marco Jackson.

A handful of players are now in a much better position to make an impact for Chicago in 2026. However, that also means that the arrows are also pointing down for a few others as a result of those signings.

Which players are in a worse position to make an impact after day one of free agency?

Noah Sewell

I thought Noah Sewell had a chance to provide a bigger impact for Chicago in 2026. He outperformed expectations last season, and I thought they might be content with him entering the season as their third linebacker. That clearly isn't going to be the case, though. We're only one day into free agency, and he's already their fourth linebacker (assuming TJ Edwards is healthy to start the year after suffering a fractured fibula against Green Bay in the Wild Card Round).

I'm also not convinced they won't prioritize the position in the draft, as Edwards' future is unclear beyond the '26 season (they would save $8.5 million by cutting him next offseason). I was really hoping they'd re-sign D'Marco Jackson, and I'm thrilled they locked him in on a cheap deal for the next two years. However, I didn't expect them to pull the trigger on two linebackers on day one.

Barring injury, Sewell will never see the field on passing downs, as Jackson and Devin Bush, whom the team also signed to a three-year, $30 million deal, both thrive in coverage. Barring an injury (or setback in recovery) to Edwards, he probably won't see the field on early downs, either.

Ruben Hyppolite II

Ruben Hyppolite II is in a similar situation to Noah Sewell. The main difference between the two is that I don't think they'd be counting on Hyppolite to contribute in 2026 (at least entering the season) under any circumstance.

It's still too early to write off the 2025 fourth-round selection, but he hasn't shown that he can hold up in the pros yet. I thought there was a chance that they could be relying on him to improve (it just seems far too early to throw in the towel on last year's fourth round selection), but Monday's signings indicate that they're not going to slow down the car so he can catch up.

I think Hyppolite still has a good chance to make the roster with the help of special teams contributions, thanks to his athleticism. However, he's far from a roster lock and will probably have to thrive in the third phase to cement his status.

Theo Benedet

Theo Benedet is arguably the biggest loser on day one of free agency. I didn't really expect him to be their primary option at left tackle, but I'm also really surprised by their decision to re-sign Braxton Jones to a one-year deal. I didn't think there would be any way he'd be back following a season in which he got benched and passed over for a starting job (over an out-of-position Joe Thuney) in the Divisional Round matchup against the Rams.

If there's one inkling of hope for Benedet, it's that the team prioritized bringing back Jones over signing the recently released Taylor Decker. The veteran left tackle was someone that I thought made a ton of sense for Chicago due to his ties to Ben Johnson in Detroit. The only way that Benedet would've seen the field at left tackle with him on the team is if he got hurt.

While Benedet at least has a chance to start (he took the starting job from Jones last season, after all), it feels like it's Jones' job to lose, barring major improvements from the Canadian Eagle. He's only making $1 million, while Jones is locked in for at least $5 million and could make as much as $10 million based on incentives. I know they'll have the best five out there when it's all said and done, but money talks, and the money says Benedet's nothing more than a backup right now.