ESPN’s latest 2026 NFL mock draft sends Bears reinforcement on defense

The Chicago Bears’ offense is trending in the right direction this season. In fact, there’s a chance that Ben Johnson’s squad will finish 2025 as the best rushing offense in the NFL.

That, combined with Caleb Williams’ obvious development, has the Bears’ 2026 outlook extremely high. And there’s still a lot of football left to be played in 2025.

The Bears are trending as a potential playoff team as Week 15 inches closer. Sitting at 9-4 and in second place in the NFC North, Chicago has a winnable game against the Cleveland Browns before squaring off with the arch-rival Packers again in Week 16.

If the Bears earn their 10th win in frigid temps at Soldier Field, they’d likely only need one more win to clinch a playoff berth.

MORE: How to watch, stream, and listen to Bears vs. Browns Week 15 game

Whether or not they get that win could come down to how well the defense plays. Specifically, Chicago’s playoff hopes could rest on whether Dennis Allen’s group can generate enough of a pass rush to rattle the likes of Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, and Jared Goff over the final weeks of the season.

Montez Sweat is having a nice bounce-back year, but he’s been a lone wolf pass-rusher for the Bears this season. He leads the team with 8.5 sacks.

The next closest true edge rusher is Dominique Robinson, who has 1.5 sacks entering Week 15. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has four, and new addition Chauncey Gardner-Johnson has three. But the lack of production at edge rusher has been a big problem for this team.

And that’s where ESPN’s latest 2026 NFL mock draft comes in.

NEXT: Here’s who ESPN sends the Bears

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