One Free Agent From Each NFC North Rival the Bears Should Poach

The NFC North is full of talented players, and the Bears should take full advantage in free agency.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite massively overachieving in 2025, the Chicago Bears are not yet a finished product, and they know this. Head coach Ben Johnson acknowledged that it was a special year for this team, but he intends to usher out the 'Cardiac Bears' and find more consistent, less stressful ways of winning in 2026.

That means addressing the Bears' most glaring weaknesses in free agency and the NFL draft. Typically, free agency is where teams find immediate, short-term fixes to roster problems, saving their draft picks for potential gamechangers and franchise cornerstones, and Ryan Poles is no different. Lucky for him, he doesn't have to go far to find some Band-Aid measures for his team. He only needs to look within the division.

To that end, let's look at one pending free agent from each NFC North team that could be an impact signing for the Bears in 2026.

1. Alex Anzalone - Linebacker, Detroit Lions

Alex Anzalon provided a major clue that his time in Detroit may not be up, but he will likely be allowed to walk as the Lions retool their roster following a fourth-place division finish. He is generally reviled by NFC North fans outside of Detroit, but that's a good thing. Opposing team fans only dislike him because he plays with an aggressive, hard-hitting style and carries himself with swagger, traits that would soon endear him to Bears fans should he don the navy and orange.

Chicago's linebacker room could look vastly different in 2026, with T.J. Edwards coming off a season impacted by injuries and Tremaine Edmunds likely a cap casualty (the Bears can save $15 million against the cap by releasing him). Anzalone, meanwhile, is expected to earn just $7 million a year, according to Spotrac. Should they part with Edmunds, Edwards, or both, Chicago will need a proven leader to wear the green dot, and as a captain on Detroit's defense, Anzalone fits the bill.

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2. Tavierre Thomas - Defensive Back, Minnesota Vikings

Heading into the offseason, the Bears don't have a single safety under contract, and that's a big problem. We got a hint at which safety the Bears will prioritize resigning, but they'll need to add one more starter and some depth pieces, too. That's where Tavierre Thomas comes in.

Thomas has spent just one season in Minnesota, his third team in as many years, and Chicago would likely only sign him for one year, as well. He would add to the veteran experience in the locker room and provide stability as a backup and special teamer. While this isn't exactly the kind of signing that changes a team's trajectory, it'd be a smart, cheap move that improves the roster.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

3. Kingsley Enagbare - Defensive End, Green Bay Packers

The Packers may very well offer Enagbare a contract extension, but it's far from a lock. If he hits free agency, Ryan Poles needs to pick up the phone immediately. While he hasn't had the impact many fans and analysts in Green Bay had hoped to see, he is still young with plenty of upside, and pairing him with Dennis Allen could be the change of scenery he needs for his breakout.

Defensive end should be a priority position for Chicago in both free agency and the draft. We all saw how Ryan Poles turned around a disastrous offensive line in one offseason; now he must do the same for the other side of the ball. Signing Enagbare to something like a three-year, $18 million deal would be a good start.

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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