Bears Free Agency Winners and Losers: Dennis Allen finds upgrades while certain players get reinforced belief they’ll stay in Chicago
The Chicago Bears were active during the legal tampering period and here’s how the moves could impact various people.
The NFL legal tampering period has come to a close and we are officially at the start of the new league year, which means the Chicago Bears can officially announce some of the new signings that were agreed to over the last three days.
Since the tampering period opened on Monday, the Bears made seven external additions while re-signing six players and losing nine players so far. It’s been a lot of activity and let’s take a look at who benefitted and who did not after these decisions.
Winners and Losers for the Chicago Bears following a busy legal tampering period
Winner: Dennis Allen
The Bears intended to retool the defensive side of the ball after the first season under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and finally give him some pieces that fit his scheme. Instead of signing washed former players from Allen’s past (like I honestly expected), the Bears made logical additions that provide upgrades over the pieces they had before. The two big additions were safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush, who add much needed speed to the defense while bringing a little more edge on that side of the ball. Then the Bears made sure to add some depth bodies in defensive back Cam Jackson and two interior defensive linemen in Neville Gallimore and Kentavius Street.
Winner: Braxton Jones
As expected, the market was dry for left tackle and former fifth-round pick Braxton Jones. Injuries played a major role in that after getting benched four games into the 2025 regular season. Turns out, that ended up working out well for both parties. The Bears brought Jones back at good value on a one-year deal and loaded the contract with per game bonuses and playtime incentives. If Jones can prove to be healthy and win the starting job at left tackle, he cashes in and can hit the market with a much higher stock in 2027. If it doesn’t work, the Bears can turn to Theo Benedet again and won’t be on the hook for that much money. It’s a way better situation than paying upwards of $15+ million for a veteran tackle like Taylor Decker.
Loser: T.J. Edwards / Noah Sewell
With the addition of Bush and the re-signing of D’Marco Jackson, the Bears now have two linebackers that fit Dennis Allen’s scheme and have great coverage ability. Finding two capable linebackers was a necessity this offseason after releasing Tremaine Edmunds while T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell rehab from significant late season injuries. Edwards should be back by the start of the season but will have a high cap hit moving forward while Sewell has just one year remaining on his rookie deal. It’s high likely neither player are in the long-term plans anymore, even if Edwards was extended last summer.
Winner: D’Andre Swift
There was an initial thought that the Bears could explore adding an upgrade over D’Andre Swift on the open market. It didn’t take long for the top options to dry up after Breece Hall got tagged by the Jets while Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs), Travis Etienne (Saints), Kenneth Gainwell (Bucs) and Tyler Allgeier (Cardinals) all landed in new homes. That’s great news for Swift, who has one year remaining on his current contract and now gets another season to show what he can do in this offense.
Winner: Dayo Odeyingbo
The Bears have yet to made an addition off the edge in free agency, a move that is likely coming early in the 2026 NFL Draft (barring a shocking trade to land Maxx Crosby). For the time being, Dayo Odeyingbo looks like a winner, even if fans don’t view him as one. He largely disappointed after signing a massive deal last year in free agency before suffering a torn Achilles. Knowing general manager Ryan Poles, he try everything he can to give his major investment another opportunity to prove himself in 2026 before he becomes a cut candidate. And boy will Odeyingbo be motivated.
Loser: Tyson Bagent
Don’t get me wrong, staying with Chicago and working with head coach Ben Johnson is the best possible situation for Tyson Bagent. At the same time, he wants a starting opportunity in this league and Johnson even said he believes Bagent is one of the Top-32 quarterbacks in this league. Yet, no team was willing to give up a significant draft pick to acquire the former undrafted free agent and the Bears were not going to lower their demands for him. And so, the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Jets all turned to different options in their quarterback searches. It’s great news for Chicago by keeping Bagent on the roster in 2026 at the expense of denying Bagent an opportunity to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Winner: Zah Frazier
Chicago’s 2025 fifth-round pick missed the entirety of his rookie season due to a personal matter and is expected to be back in the fold to make his debut in 2026. Zah Frazier is a player that defensive backs coach Al Harris pounded on the table for during the draft and fits the exact kind of type he looks for as an outside cornerback. After letting Pro Bowl alternate Nahshon Wright walk out of the door with no additions made yet to replace him, a starting position is there for the taking saying Frazier impresses the staff once he gets back out on the field.
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