One Free Agent the Chicago Bears Absolutely Must Sign

Despite Drew Dalman's shocking retirement earlier this week, the top need for the Chicago Bears in free agency this year remains the defensive line. That position group is simply nowhere near good enough to propel the Bears back to a Super Bowl berth. According to ESPN's pass-run win rates for the 2025 NFL season, Chicago's defensive line won just 29% of its pass rush snaps (31st in the league) and another 29% of its run stop snaps (26th in the league).

For a team that believes itself to be on the cusp of contending for a championship title, that cannot continue in 2026. Luckily for the Bears, and especially for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, one of the best defensive ends in the NFL over the last few seasons is about to be a free agent: former Cincinnati Bengal Trey Hendrickson.

The #Bengals are not franchise tagging star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, per me and @TomPelissero. One of the NFL’s best is free. pic.twitter.com/pEN9rorOMv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 3, 2026

Trey Hendrickson is one of the best defensive ends in the NFL

Hendrickson tops ESPN's ranking of the Top 100 players available in the 2026 NFL free agency period, and for good reason. First of all, you need to forget his 2025 season. He only played seven games, and he was deeply unhappy with his situation from the start. In 2024, he led the league in sacks (17.5) and pressures (65). In 2023, he also had 17.5 sacks, behind only T.J. Watt. In fact, from 2020 through 2024, Hendrickson posted at least 13 sacks every season except 2022, when he put up only eight.

He's also proven to be sturdy, something the Bears sorely needed last year when they seemed to lose a new defensive starter to injury every week. From 2020 through 2024, Hendrickson missed just four games in total. He also continues playing at a high level in the playoffs. During the Bengals' run to the Super Bowl in 2021, Hendrickson registered 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble in four postseason games.

Why Hendrickson is better for the Bears than Maxx Crosby

A potential Chicago Bears trade for Maxx Crosby has been the hot topic of the NFL world for several days now, and it makes sense, but that may not be what's best for the Bears. Yes, Crosby is younger than Hendrickson, and some would argue that he's the better player. But unless the Raiders soften their stance, it's going to take at least two first-round draft picks and a good player for them to move Crosby.

That's too rich for the Bears, especially when you consider the fact that they are not one player away from a Super Bowl. They can't afford to part with two valuable picks and a player without compromising their future. And that's where the true value in signing Hendrickson becomes apparent. He may not be quite as good as Crosby, and he's on the wrong side of 30, but Hendrickson is a free agent. The Bears could sign him for a contract roughly equal to what Crosby has and keep all of their draft picks.

The Bottom Line

The Bears have cleared up around $45 million in salary cap space this week with the release of Tremaine Edmunds, Drew Dalman's retirement, and trading DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. That gives them approximately $32 million of salary cap space, according to Spotrac. They could create an additional $33 million in salary cap space if they restructure the contracts of Montez Sweat, Joe Thuney, and Cole Kmet, too.

Clearly, the salary cap is not a concern for the Bears. This leaves them no excuse not to sign Hendrickson. With a market value of $25.4 million per year, according to Spotrac, the Bears could outbid all other interested teams and still have the money to sign Tyler Linderbaum, if they wish. Dominant pass rushers simply don't hit free agency very often, and the Bears can't afford to let this one get away.

Trey Hendrickson is one of the best defensive ends in the NFL

Why Hendrickson is better for the Bears than Maxx Crosby

The Bottom Line

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