The Chicago Bears opened training camp on Wednesday with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen addressing the media and delivering a clear message about the direction of the defense in 2026.

Allen’s unit underwent a massive overhaul, with 18 new players joining the defensive roster from 2025. Chicago’s defensive unit struggled last season, and Allen emphasized that coaching fundamentals and techniques will be a heightened priority as Chicago attempts to rebuild one of the league’s weaker units into something competitive.

“I think we all take a part of that,” Allen told reporters at Halas Hall. “Coaches, players, scheme, fundamentals and technique, all those things play a part in that.”

Fixing the defense starts up-front for the Chicago Bears

The primary objective for the Bears defense in 2026 is improving the pass defense, and Allen acknowledged that pass rush and coverage work hand in hand, despite so much being made about the pass rush this offseason. Speaking of, the defensive line will remain difficult to evaluate early in camp.

Edge rusher Montez Sweat is currently on the NFI list, leaving Dayo Odeyingbo and Austin Booker as the primary options off the edge. Without Sweat, the Bears won’t get a true picture of their pass rush until he returns. Allen also noted the limitations of evaluating anything meaningful up-front until the team is in full pads on Monday.

“We’re looking for pass rush mechanics,” Allen explained. “It’s hard to evaluate a lot of stuff when you’re practicing in underwear. We’ll be able to have a better feel of what we got in the run game, what we have in the passing game, when we start putting on the pads. That’s where you really determine what you have.”

Second level awaits the return of T.J. Edwards but the addition of Devin Bush brings excitement

The second level of the defense faces a similar early-camp obstacle. Linebacker T.J. Edwards is also on the NFI list, though the Bears are hopeful he’ll return soon. The biggest addition to the linebacker room to watch is Devin Bush, the speedy acquisition from the Cleveland Browns. Bush brings a different dimension to the position group, and Allen spoke about what the former first-round pick can provide.

“Number one, I think speed. And athleticism in coverage,” Allen said when asked what Bush brings to the defense. “I think those are two things that he really brings to us that I think can help us. One of the things that we looked at is we’re trying to improve our team speed and I think he’s a guy that can do that for us.”

Behind Edwards and Bush, the Bears reinforced the depth at linebacker this offseason after dealing with a multitude of injuries to the position last year. D’Marco Jackson re-signed on a larger deal as the LB3 and the Bears also added Jack Sanborn and rookie Keyshaun Elliott to the room (Elliott is another player dealing with an injury to start camp).

Health and consistency are key at cornerback

The Bears missed 24 combined games between their top two cornerbacks last season with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Gordon continues to be sidelined with a “frustrating” calf injury but the coaching staff is ecstatic to finally see a healthy version of Johnson at camp for the first time.

“Jaylon’s a good player,” Allen said. “I don’t think he was fully healthy last year and we’re excited about seeing what he can do. I don’t know that I’ve had the opportunity to see up-front what he looks like fully healthy.”

At the other outside cornerback spot, Tyrique Stevenson is expected to man the position as the projected starter. The former second-round pick has shown high-level flashes throughout his first three years, but also his fair-share of struggles he needs to overcome.

“I think he can be a starting-caliber corner in our league,” Allen explained. “And I think he can be a starting-caliber corner for us. Tyrique needs to be more consistent. There’s plays – I can make you a tape of Tyrique from last season – that you would look at and say ‘Woo, that’s pretty freaking good.’ But, it’s the lapses in consistency that we have to improve on.”

In the nickel, Allen confirmed the Bears will “go through a lot of different players” throughout the course of training camp and let the competition play out while Gordon is sidelined. Cam Lewis, Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell and Malik Muhammad all mixed in during the first day of practice.

Revamped safety duo headlines the defensive makeover

The back end of the secondary received the most dramatic transformation. The biggest move was bringing in Coby Bryant from the Seattle Seahawks, to replace All-Pro veteran Kevin Byard III. Bryant has shown he can perform at a high level, and his experience makes him exactly the kind of veteran presence a this defense needed to replace Byard.

“I love his play style, I think it epitomizes the way that we want to play the game,” Allen said of Bryant. “Plays fast. Plays violent. He’s smart. He’s instinctive. He just does a lot of really good things. He’s an impressive guy to watch on tape. When you watched him play on their defense, I thought his play demeanor was contagious.”

Then there’s first-round pick Dillon Thieneman, who arrives to camp with something to prove while competing for a starting role from Day 1. It won’t be an easy process, but Thieneman is slated to get plenty of first-team reps while Elijah Hicks is out on the PUP.

“I’m excited about him. I like what I saw in the spring with him,” Allen said of Thieneman. “I think, mentally, I think he’s going to be able to handle everything. He’ll be a guy that I plan on picking things up pretty quickly.”

The Bears defense has a long way to go before all these pieces fit together. With new talent added across every level, the potential for significant improvement from 2025 is real, but it all depends on how quickly these newcomers gel will determine whether Allen’s defense can take that next step forward instead of backward.