Bear Digest

Overlooked Chicago Bears Defender Emerges as Team's Top-Graded 2026 Free Agent

Pro Football Focus named this surprising Bears defender as the team's highest-graded pending free agent after the 2025 NFL season.
Bryan Perez|
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears entered the 2025 NFL season with a linebacker room that was considered one of the team's strengths. Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards are the headliners, but when Pro Football Focus reviewed every NFL team's top pending free agent, it was a lesser-known LB who rose to the top of the Bears' list.

According to PFF, linebacker D'Marco Jackson finished the 2025 season as Chicago's highest-graded soon-to-be free agent, a distinction that highlights his level of play during his limited opportunities.

MORE: Chicago Bears Viewed as Prime 2026 NFL Draft Fit For Explosive Miami EDGE

Jackson ended the season with a 76.4 overall grade on 370 snaps.

"The Bears entered this year with a linebacker corps filled with household names, but the unsung Jackson carved out a nice role for himself," PFF's Bradley Locker wrote. "The third-year player led Chicago’s defense with a 76.4 overall PFF grade, accounting for 18 stops across a limited 370 total snaps. Additionally, Jackson’s 81.7 PFF coverage grade was the third-best at the position among qualifiers, trailing only Fred Warner and Zack Baun."

That's some pretty elite company.

MORE: How Caleb Williams’ Breakout Changes the Chicago Bears’ All-Time QB Rankings

D'Marco Jackson adds intrigue to Chicago Bears' offseason

While he was not an every-down player and was often forced into action because of injury, Jackson's snap-for-snap impact stood out. PFF's grading suggests that when Jackson was on the field, the Bears consistently got positive results. He was a big part of Dennis Allen's "bend-but-don't-break" identity.

D'Marco Jackson's emergence adds intrigue to the Chicago Bears' offseason plans. Linebacker was not viewed as a pressing need entering the year, but Edwards' injury and Edmonds' contract complicate decisions about depth, roles, and how GM Ryan Poles can best allocate the team's salary-cap resources.

As the Bears turn the page from the 2025 season and into the 2026 offseason, Jackson will be an interesting player to monitor. His production is impossible to ignore, even if he was playing in the shadows of more popular names.

More Chicago Bears News

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

Published
Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

Home/News