There is no denying that Grady Jarrett's first season with the Chicago Bears was a rare free agency bust. In a season when everything else appeared to be falling their way, the frustration and lack of consistency from Jarrett defined his first season. This was evidenced by finishing the year with only 1.5 sacks and an ugly 56.7 PFF grade. Still, this has never been who Jarrett has been throughout his career, with the interior lineman being a force that demands attention whenever he has been healthy.
Atlanta Falcons fans will be quick to tell you there was much that Jarrett did that didn't show up in the box score during his long tenure with the franchise. Prior to joining the Bears, Jarrett was expected to be a consistent presence in the opposing backfield and found ways either to win or to open up lanes for another player to make a play. All of this adds up for Chicago fans having every reason to hope that last season was due to injury and an outlier ahead of a bounce-back season.
Jarrett has 134 career quarterback hits and 78 tackles for loss in his career despite often playing for awful Atlanta defenses. This points to the impact player Jarrett has been and the chance that Chicago could see the veteran return to form and offer a season that hands the defense a final missing piece.
Bears Could Enjoy Surprise Season from Grady Jarrett After 2025 Failures
There are questions around Chicago's lack of pass-rushing depth, making it clear that a bounce-back year from Jarrett could answer a lot of concerns. It isn't just the sacks that the defender totals, but when he is at his best, there is a level of attention demanded that makes life far easier for the team's edge rushers. Jarrett's best seasons with Atlanta saw the defender routinely demanding double teams and attacking the run with a ferocity Chicago fans didn't see last season.
Fans simply have to hope that this was the outlier with the 2026 season serving as a bounce-back year that proves Jarrett's struggles a season ago were due to ongoing knee issues and not the veteran turning the corner in the wrong direction.
The Bears will unquestionably get their answer this season, either seeing the defender return to form and be the surprise final piece of the defense or proving that age has caught up with the lineman. Either answer is clearly on the table, with fans holding out hope that the former proves to be the case, with Jarrett offering defensive coordinator Dennis Allen a surprise weapon that the pass rusher was expected to be a season ago.
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