Andrew Buller-Russ
Last season, first-year head coach Ben Johnson put his innovative offense in the hands of Caleb Williams, leading to the Chicago Bears’ best season since 2018 and their first playoff win since 2010. While the Bears had a top-10 offense, they had a bottom-tier defense, ranking 23rd in points allowed.
One area they struggled with was getting to quarterbacks. Chicago’s defense had just 35 sacks last season, and 10 of them came from Montez Sweat. The Bears didn’t draft any edge rushers, but they did add a defensive tackle in the sixth round after signing Neville Gallimore, Kentavius Street, and James Lynch in free agency. None are projected to start.
After Chicago’s struggles last season, it’s no surprise that there are some skeptics wondering if the Bears have done enough to address a clear weakness. Yet, there could still be a solution available in free agency.
Recently, Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer predicted that the Bears would sign longtime New Orleans Saints defender Cameron Jordan.
Jordan will turn 37 in July, but the eight-time Pro Bowler was still extremely effective in his 15th season, recording 10.5 sacks. It was the seventh time Jordan recorded double-digit sacks in a season.
Still unsigned, Jordan enters the 2026 season ranking 22nd (17th on the ‘official list’) on the NFL’s all-time sack leaders list with 132. He’s 6.5 sacks behind a 37-year-old Von Miller, who is also unsigned, but ranks 13th on the career sack list.
Even if the Bears don’t rely on Jordan for a starting role, it’s obvious he still has something to offer. Yet, after starting 242 of the 243 games he’s appeared in, there’s no reason to believe Jordan isn’t prepared to start all 17 games again, which he’s done for the past three seasons.
Related: Chicago Bears Urged to Sign Former Pro Bowler Who Played for Ben Johnson
