The Chicago Bears are starting to feel good about the injury development of Dayo Odeyingbo. Odeyigbo tore his Achilles tendon last year, which made his timeline for playing in 2026 questionable. However, he participated in minicamp this week, and Ben Johnson noted that it is a bonus to see Odeyingbo, who is heading in the right direction.
The Chicago Bears could be seeing Dayo Odeyingbo return earlier than expected
Odeyingbo tore his Achilles in November. That timeline in the season is early enough that he should not have to miss the entire 2026 season, but late enough that it could have an impact on his play. Achilles injuries are also a tough injury to gauge, because players might be able to come back, but they are not nearly as explosive as they were before the injury for some time.
It was fair to think that Odeyingbo would not be ready for Week 1 and certainly that he would not be participating in offseason programs. That is why Johnson's comments stand out. The Bears are not just getting updates from the training staff; they are actually seeing him on the field. Even limited participation is a positive sign this early in the recovery process.
So, even without knowing how explosive he is, his presence is a notable bonus, as Johnson mentions.
The issue the Bears face is that they need Odeyingbo to come back and be better than he was last year. As it stands, the team did nothing to upgrade their edge rusher, and he was a starter before he got hurt.
Austin Booker stepped into his role and might be able to get starting looks, but he is not the same run defender, and the team is going to have issues in that area if they cannot get Odeyingbo back healthy.
More than that, the depth behind it is questionable. Shemar Turner is expected to move from the interior defensive line to the edge. Still, he is coming back from injury and shifting roles. It is far from a sure thing that he will make any impact this year.
The Bears' offseason moves showed an optimistic view of Odeyingbo in 2026. Fans and media saw the team electing not to draft a position of need. However, the Bears were not worried at edge rusher and instead trusted their current group to carry the position. We will see if it pays off.
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