One of the top interior defensive line prospects confirms the Bears are still showing interest, but Chicago will have steep competition
Kayden McDonald has an upcoming visit with the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Chicago Bears still have some clear needs following the first two weeks of free agency, with two of the primary needs being an impact edge rusher and another starting safety to pair with Coby Bryant.
At this point, the Bears have exhausted all currently available cap space and will be relying on the 2026 NFL Draft next month to fill those remaining needs. Two positions the Bears hammered in free agency were linebacker (Devin Bush, D’Marco Jackson, and Jack Sanborn) and interior defensive line (Neville Gallimore, Kentavius Street, and James Lynch). Even still, don’t rule out the Bears exploring a way to continue addressing either one of those positions.
Finding another top-end interior defensive lineman would actually still be a wise decision for the Bears. All of those signings were one-year deals and Gervon Dexter Sr. is set to play on an expiring contract in 2026. The future of Grady Jarrett after this season is also a bit murky.
With that being a legit position to consider adding more to, the Bears are expected to take another look at one of the top defensive tackles in the draft and one that has a ton of interested suitors.
Kayden McDonald reveals he will have another visit with the Chicago Bears ahead of the draft
Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald was a popular prospect linked to the Bears with the 25th overall pick earlier in the offseason. Back in mid-February, I complied nine different mock drafts across the industry with McDonald being the Bears’ selection four different times.
After free agency, I complied another mock draft tracker that showed the hype cooling on experts mocking any interior defensive lineman to the Bears. Perhaps people should start coming back around on the idea after McDonald revealed he has another meeting with the Bears, although there’s a lot of other teams set to have another meeting with him.
“I’ve been on Top 30 visits. I have one with the Bengals, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders, Ravens, Bears,” McDonald told Justin Melo of NFL Draft on SI. “Every team that needs a physical defensive tackle has been in touch with me.”
The Bears reportedly had a formal interview with McDonald at the NFL Combine a few weeks back and now seem interested in having another visit with the Ohio State standout. It’s worth noting that the majority of the reported visits for the Bears have clear red flags attached to them, and the same goes for McDonald given his lack of pass rush potential.
McDonald made it clear that he’s eager to take on more responsibilities as a power pass rusher at the next level and teams are still showing heavy interest in him because of what he can bring as a run defender in the middle of the defensive front.
“It starts with winning my assignment,” McDonald explained. “I welcome those double teams so I can free up our linebackers. I love making everybody around me better. That’s what shows up on film. Arvell [Reese] and Sonny [Styles] would tell you the same thing.”
Here’s the part that should really concern the Bears, McDonald mentioned seven other teams by name he’s expected to meet with on a Top-30 visit and 10 total teams he mentioned that he had a formal interview with at the Combine. The Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, and Los Angeles Chargers are the teams to watch that could legitimately be a threat to take McDonald before the 25th overall pick.
Even if the Bears are sold on what McDonald can bring to Chicago’s defensive front after this second visit, there’s not a guarantee he’ll even be available.