The Chicago Bears understood during the 2025 offseason just how dire it was to drastically improve on both sides of the ball in the trenches. While that improvement has shown up through the season's first six weeks, there is no denying that one major addition has been a frustration. Grady Jarrett has been unable to stay healthy and hasn't played to expectations when the defender has been able to take the field. It looks like that particular theme will continue, following the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs reporting that Grady Jarrett was among the five Bears not to participate in practice.
Jarrett, still dealing with the same knee injury, missed practice, while Noah Sewell, Cairo Santos, Jonah Jackson, and DJ Moore completed the list of those unable to participate. None of these absences comes as a surprise based on earlier injury reports and Jarrett's continued inability to get his knee healthy. Chicago can look back at the move and now understand a bit more why Jarrett's former franchise was so ready to move on from the contract. The Atlanta Falcons cut the accomplished defender despite the inside lineman often being an underrated performer in a struggling defense.
Bears Continue to Grow Frustrated with Jarrett's Inability to Stay on Field
Jarrett getting cut by an organization that knew him so well should've been a cautionary tale for the Bears. However, it was viewed as a cap savings move for a rebuilding roster. Instead, the Falcons invested every early draft pick and the majority of free agency attention to improve their defense. Atlanta moving on makes far more sense in retrospect and leaves the Bears with reason for regret.
However, there is no escaping the deal for the next two seasons. Even if Jarrett isn't playing, it is cheaper to keep the defender on the roster due to a potential dead cap hit that is higher than simply keeping the lineman around. As frustrating as it might be for Chicago fans, this is the reality of the situation from a financial perspective.
It is also important to note that we aren't even halfway into Jarrett's first season with the Bears yet, and much can change. Previously with the Falcons, Jarrett tended to make a big play in the game's biggest moments or find a way to disrupt the pocket consistently, even if it didn't show up in the stat sheet.
There is still a chance that this version of Jarrett will show up over the next weeks of the season. All the Bears can do is hope that this proves to be the case and Jarrett can turn back the clock at least a bit with the first weeks of the year pointing to an undeniable failure in what was otherwise a strong 2025 offseason.