The Chicago Bears have one obvious need that they left draft weekend without addressing. Everyone thought that they would take an edge rusher high, and not only did they pass on one high, but they did not take an edge rusher at all. It left fans wondering if there was something they did not know.
Are the Chicago Bears higher on Dayo Odeyingbo than they should be?
The early thought was that they would sign a veteran like Cameron Jordon. However, Dennis Allen shot that down, saying that he was happy with the group that he had. Within that group, he specifically mentioned Dayo Odeyingbo, who the team signed last offseason.
One last thing before heading off to rookie minicamp practice: Dennis Allen said that Dayo Odeyingbo is "definitely in the mix at defensive end." When Odeyingbo got hurt in the Cincinnati game, the messaging around his season to that point was how good he was as a run defender…
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) May 9, 2026
Perhaps they know more than the public eye, but this feels like lofty expectations for someone coming off an Achilles injury. He might be healthy and on track to play a bit faster than expected, but that does not mean that he will be making the type of impact that he was making earlier in his career. Beyond that, the level of play that he was at before his injury was not enough to give the Bears capable play.
The Bears paid him because of his age and physical ability, and because he could grow into being a better player than he was. His getting back to his old ways is still going to leave this room short on talent, and that might not even happen.
The other interesting note is how much confidence the Bears seem to have in Shemar Turner. Yes, Turner is a former second-round pick, but he tore his ACL in October. Getting him back by week one feels optimistic as well. Beyond that, in the case of Turner, he played defensive tackle for most of his rookie year, and now they want to shift him into more of an edge role. It is fair that he was undersized as a defensive tackle, and the Bears like bigger edges with Dennis Allen.
At the same time, they are now asking a lot from someone to improve, change positions and do it while healing quicker than expected from an ACL.
If these two injured edges do not return to the lineup quicker than expected, Allen and the defense are not going to look too great. It is an interesting and almost cocky move to express this much optimism despite so much suggesting it could end poorly.
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