Three Post-Draft Overreactions: Ryan Poles is playing a dangerous game with the defensive line, Cole Kmet is on shaky ground
The Chicago Bears added seven new rookies during the 2026 NFL Draft and it’s safe to say the draft went totally against what anyone was expecting under GM Ryan Poles and HC Ben Johnson.
The 2026 NFL Draft is now behind us and this weekend did not go how anyone expected for the Chicago Bears in the second draft under the tandem of general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson.
The Bears added seven new rookies to the roster, and more being signed as UDFA’s, including four new defensive players.
However, the positions the Bears targeted, and didn’t target, will be something to watch as the team heads into the 2026 season and beyond. Let’s break down three immediate overreactions after seeing this draft class come together.
Ryan Poles is playing a dangerous game with the defensive line
Going into the draft, the Bears were heavily linked to multiple top pass rushers in the 2026 class. During the first-round, the Bears had to change course on those expected plans when Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman fell right into their laps.
However, the team continued to ignore the needs on the defensive front until the very last pick in the draft when Chicago selected defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg.
As things stand, the Bears are set to enter into the offseason with basically the same exact defensive front that recorded just 35 sacks last season. It’s a dangerous game to play, but Poles and Johnson continue to put faith in the players the team has. Meanwhile, the blame is being placed on coaching and the back seven, which was heavily improved.
“We’re certainly going to coach better than what we did a year ago,” Johnson explained. “It starts there. We’ve made a concerted effort with how we’re going to get that done… [Montez] Sweat had one of his better years in the NFL, whether that shows up in the sack total or not. He’s a very complete player, both run game and pass game. And you saw tremendous growth from [Austin] Booker when we were able to get him back as well. The combination of us being able to coach better and those guys taking the next step as part of this system, we’ve got some pretty good pieces to work with.”
Cole Kmet is on shaky ground, not in 2026, but his future is definitely cloudy
Prior to the draft, veteran tight end Cole Kmet told reporters that Poles and Johnson gave him a sense of security that he will be back for the 2026 season. On Thursday night, that was reinforced when the Bears restructured his contract, making his 2026 cap hit more manageable, while pushing more money into the future.
All that did was push the conversation into 2027. Something that continued to get louder on Friday night when the Bears drafted Stanford tight end Sam Roush in the third-round.
The decision to draft Roush wasn’t to put pressure on Kmet. Johnson’s offense values multiple tight ends getting on the field and Roush is simply the replacement for Durham Smythe. However, things do look similar to 2025 when you think back to DJ Moore and Luther Burden III with Burden eventually pushing Moore off the roster.
If Roush shows real impact as a rookie in 2026, Kmet’s 2027 cap hit will be hard to justify. Next offseason, the Bears will either have to choose to extend their longest-tenured offensive player, or part ways with him.
Bears should have made a call to flip Tyson Bagent for the 65th overall pick
After the selection of quarterback Ty Simpson by the Los Angeles Rams, I felt like the trade rumors between the Arizona Cardinals and the Chicago Bears should have heated back up regarding quarterback Tyson Bagent.
The Cardinals were reportedly intrigued by Bagent during the NFL Combine and the Bears fielded calls, but wanted a significant return to move their backup QB.
I truly believe the Bears could have flipped Bagent for the 65th overall pick in the third-round if they wanted to. And believe they should have. Instead, the Bears are holding on to Bagent for the time being and the Cardinals went a different direction by selecting an uninspiring option in Carson Beck.