The Chicago Bears have made only marginal additions to the defensive front throughout free agency and last weekend’s NFL draft, which leaves them prime contenders for several of the top available linemen — both on the edge and the interior.
Among the best values remaining is defensive tackle Calais Campbell. Campbell, who will play his 19th professional campaign at the age of 40 should he sign somewhere in 2026, started all 17 games for the Arizona Cardinals last season and hasn’t missed a contest since 2022.
The seven-time Pro Bowler played on a $5.5 million contract last season and has a projected market value just shy of $11 million on a one-year deal, per Spotrac.
He was borderline elite against the run in 2025 with 24 stops and well above-average from the position against the pass, tallying 33 quarterback pressures and 18 hurries. Pro Football Focus ranked Campbell the 16th-best interior defender out of 134 who saw enough snaps in 2025 to qualify.
Campbell also tallied 16 QB hits, nine tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks last season.
Bears’ Defensive Front Struggled Mightily Against Both Run, Pass Last Year
GettyDefensive tackle Calais Campbell, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals.
Chicago’s defense finished near the bottom of the league in pass rush win rate and quick pressures last season, while also allowing 5.0 yards per rush to opposing offenses, which ranked 29th in the NFL.
Campbell could help the Bears meaningfully in both regards, and do so at a reasonable price without a longterm commitment. Chicago is liable to improve the defensive line in next year’s draft after lacking interest in the available depth in 2026 at positions of legitimate team need.
The one player on the D-line the Bears did acquire over the weekend was defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg, formerly of Georgia Tech. The franchise flipped two seventh-round picks (Nos. 239 and 241) for the 213th overall selection in Round 6 in order to land him.
“Van den Berg was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2025 after recording 10 tackles for loss,” Courtney Cronin of ESPN wrote. “The Bears weren’t enamored with this year’s crop of defensive linemen and chose to prioritize other positions instead of adding impact players to their pass rush.”
Chicago also signed undrafted rookie free agent Jayden Loving out of Wake Forest on Sunday.
“Loving’s stock rose tremendously after dominating at the Demon Deacons’ Pro Day, putting together 99th-percentile testing for the defensive tackle position,” Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron wrote.
Bears Also Remain Candidates to Acquire Edge-Rusher
GettyPass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bears picked up DTs Neville Gallimore, Kentavious Street and James Lynch in free agency back in March, so one more interior lineman in Campbell might be all the team is looking to take into summer work before it whittles down the roster to 53 players in late August.
Chicago’s defensive front is thinner on the edge, where 2025 second-round pick Shemar Turner might help as a defensive end next season. Otherwise, the Bears will rely on Montez Sweat, Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo, the latter of whom tore his Achilles tendon midway through last season and may not be ready to go by Week 1.
Pass-rushing free agents who might intrigue the Bears include Jadeveon Clowney, Cameron Jordan and Joey Bosa. All three should be available on short-term deals.
Bears Quality Fit for 7-Time Pro Bowl DL after Controversial NFL Draft