Why the Chicago Bears face a more challenging offseason heading into 2026

Bears GM Ryan Poles isn't armed with as much capital as in years past this offseason.

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The Chicago Bears' success in 2025 can be directly traced back to last offseason, when GM Ryan Poles put on a master class for how to rebuild a franchise in just a few months.

First, Poles hired Ben Johnson, the most coveted head coaching candidate since Sean McVay. We're seeing in real-time just how important having the right head coach is to an organization's culture, and Poles hit a grand slam with Johnson.

Indeed, it was a meatball pitch lofted over the plate. But, still, he made contact, and blasted it.

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But Johnson was only one piece of the puzzle that Poles put together. He rebuilt the offensive line via trades, free agency, and the 2025 NFL Draft, and added more firepower to Chicago's offensive arsenal with early-round draft investments.

Poles traded for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. He signed Drew Dalman. He drafted Ozzy Trapilo.

Offensive line? Check.

He used the 10th overall pick on Colston Loveland. He added Luther Burden III in Round 2. Even Kyle Monangai, the Bears' seventh-round pick, was a stroke of genius.

More weapons for Ben Johnson? Check.

And the defense had its fair share of investments, too. Kyler Gordon got paid, Grady Jarrett was signed in free agency, and Shemar Turner (although now injured) was a second-rounder.

It was a very busy 2025 offseason. It was an expensive one, too. And it's why Ryan Poles' job will be much harder in 2026.

The Chicago Bears will begin the 2026 offseason ranked 25th in the NFL in salary cap space, and there are a handful of current starters whom Poles must figure out how to bring back.

Here's the current list of Bears players who are scheduled to become free agents at the end of the season:

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Offense

Ryan Bates (C) — UFA

Durham Smythe (TE) — UFA

Case Keenum (QB) — UFA

Travis Homer (RB) — UFA

Olamide Zaccheaus (WR) — UFA

Devin Duvernay (WR) — UFA

Braxton Jones (T) — UFA

Theo Benedet (LT) — ERFA

Defense

Kevin Byard (S) - UFA

Andrew Billings (DL) - UFA

Chris Williams (DL) - UFA

Jaquan Brisker (S) - UFA

Jonathan Owens (S) - UFA

NahShon Wright (CB) - UFA

Nick McCloud (CB) - UFA

Jaylon Jones (S) - UFA

Noah Sewell (LB) - RFA

Daniel Hardy (ED) - RFA

D'Marco Jackson (LB) - UFA

Dominique Robinson (ED) - UFA

Elijah Hicks (SAF) - UFA

Yep, that's a lot of dudes.

Of course, not all of these players will be offseason priorities for the Bears. But starters like Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, and NahShon Wright will cost a pretty penny. And I doubt Poles will let both Theo Benedet and Braxton Jones leave the building; one of them has to come back as the swing tackle.

And, remember: The Bears won't have a top-10 pick to offset some of these losses, either.

This is a good thing, though. It means Chicago is finally a winner, and players are performing at a high level. It's refreshing, even if there will be some frustrating player departures over the next few months.

More Chicago Bears News:

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