Sports

Ranking the best Bears acquisitions of the offseason

Nairavoice · Jul 6, 2026 · 4 min read

There are just a few short weeks left of the summer for the Chicago Bears before they arrive back at Halas Hall for the start of training camp, the final phase of the offseason. And the team will look a bit different than the one that last took the field in January in the heartbreaking 20-17 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.

Quite a few key veterans departed via various methods. Some left in free agency, one key starter was dealt in a trade, and a Pro Bowl center surprised everyone by retiring at 27 years old. But as vested veterans left, new players arrived to help keep the Bears in playoff contention during the 2026 season.

With all of the moves that were made from the spring, here is our list of the five best acquisitions the Bears made during the 2026 offseason:

Pick No. 57 (second round) in the 2026 NFL Draft

The Bears needed to work quickly to find Drew Dalman’s replacement after the center abruptly retired prior to free agency. General manager Ryan Poles acquired veteran Garrett Bradbury from the New England Patriots as a short-term solution, but they set themselves up well for the future by selecting Iowa’s Logan Jones in the second round of the draft.

Though some were surprised to see Jones go as early as he did, the Bears had extra ammo on Day 2 of the draft thanks to trading DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. They found a player that plays a similar style to Dalman, who can learn behind Bradbury for the time being. The center position is so important in Ben Johnson’s offense, and the Bears landed one of the best ones in the 2026 class.

Signed 3-year, $30 million contract in free agency

Chicago prioritized adding speed to its defense during free agency, opting to move off linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to bring in Devin Bush as his replacement. Bush, a 2019 first-round pick, was trending the wrong way during the first few years of his career, but proved to be a late bloomer with the Cleveland Browns. In 2025, Bush had a career year with 125 total tackles (seven for loss), two sacks, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions with two touchdowns.

That production earned him a three-year deal with the Bears, who are counting on Bush’s elite speed to translate to Dennis Allen’s defense. It remains to be seen whether or not Bush has officially turned a corner or was benefitting from a stacked Browns defense, but the Bears are betting on him to bring a new element to their linebacking corps.

Signed 1-year, $5.1 million deal in free agency

In 2025, the Bears utilized veteran wide receivers Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay as a situational threat and return specialist, respectively. They got the best of both worlds by signing Kalif Raymond to replace them both. Raymond has been in the league for quite some time and has plenty of experience working with head coach Ben Johnson from their days with the Detroit Lions.

Raymond wasn’t brought in to catch 80 passes for 800 yards. The last two years, he hasn’t even eclipsed 30 receptions or 300 yards receiving. But he can run any route and be a reliable option on specific plays. And he’s one of the better return specialists in the game, which allows the Bears to open up a roster spot. Raymond is the savvy vet the wide receiver room needs, and he’s barely making $5 million. He’s going to play a bigger role than people think this fall.

Pick No. 25 (first round) in the 2026 NFL Draft

It’s rare that the Bears satisfy a draft need while also selecting the best player available on the board, but that’s exactly what happened when they drafted safety Dillon Thieneman in the first round in April. Thieneman was projected to be a top 20 pick thanks to his excellent 2025 season with the Oregon Ducks. But the board fell a different way and the versatile safety was there for the taking at No. 25 overall.

Thieneman showed he can do it all at the collegiate level, from run defense to ball hawking in pass coverage. He can play both free and strong safety and should be a great match with veteran Coby Bryant as the new safety tandem in Chicago.

Signed 3-year, $40 million deal in free agency

Coby Bryant will go down as one of the best free agent signings of the Ryan Poles era. It’s a move that made so much sense given the coaching staff’s desire to disguise different coverages on the backend, and the Bears are betting on a 26-year-old defensive back who is now just starting to hit his stride after moving from cornerback to safety.

Bryant has seven interceptions over the last two seasons and played an integral part during the Seattle Seahawks’ run to Super Bowl LX. And like Thieneman, he can line up all over the field to create confusion for opposing offenses. And Bryant’s deal didn’t break the bank either. His $13 million AAV ranks No. 13 among safeties going into the 2026 season. We haven’t seen the best of Bryant yet and it’s going to come in a Chicago Bears uniform.