Heading into the Chicago Bears' 2026 training camp, one obvious area of concern was defensive line depth. This went beyond the questions around edge rushers but whether or not Chicago had enough depth on the interior to consistently stop the run and provide the needed boost to the pass rush. Many of these concerns have been answered by obvious improvements from key players and the surprise emergence of a rookie defender.
This leads us to look at Dennis Allen commenting on the growth of Gervon Dexter Sr. in what is a contract year. One of the biggest issues Dexter has faced in his career is a lack of consistent production. Allen doesn't hesitate to answer this concern, offering an eye-catching improvement for Dexter from the top.
"Dennis Allen
“Number one, I think he’s gotten better. I see more consistency. I see more ability to come off and strike the line of scrimmage… Regardless of whether it’s contract year, no contract year, you want to see guys go out there and compete and perform at a high level consistently. That’s what we’re looking for.”"
It isn't just notable steps forward from Dexter, but a healthy Grady Jarrett and the emergence of Jordan van den Berg, who appears to have been a potential draft steal. The position has gone from one of incredible concern to one of the more exciting and interesting stories in camp for Chicago. Allen's comments help expose this and point to a reason for excitement when it comes to improved play on the interior.
Improvements from both Dexter and Jarrett have grown from a hope to an expectation, with van den Berg an exciting wildcard making an early camp push to play meaningful snaps early in the 2026 season.
Bears Defensive Line Depth Has Drastically Improved with Obvious Progression
With that said, van den Berg is a sixth-round pick and is dealing with a level of hype and expectations that were far out of his reach at the start of camp. The level of attention and pressure are factors that fans are going to need to see the defender respond to positively, offering a consistent camp and preseason performance that doesn't show any signs of this getting to the rookie.
As long as Jarrett stays healthy and the rookie continues, there is now real reason for excitement around the unit. Dexter showing progression while being incredibly motivated in a contract year is simply all the more reason to trust that Ryan Poles hasn't overlooked the unit but anticipated that this would be the case and made the correct offseason decision betting on the team's current pieces.
No question, every area of question appears to have turned into excitement early in camp. Chicago has done an incredible job of building a roster that has every reason to be heading into the season with legitimate Super Bowl expectations.
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