ESPN’s Adam Schefter drops a bucket of cold water on the speculation linking the Bears to one veteran DE
The Chicago Bears are running out of veteran defensive end options on the open market roughly one month before the team is expected to return for the start of training camp.
The Chicago Bears are roughly one month away from kicking off training camp and a big story will be the evaluation of the defensive end position that, so far, has not had any additions made to the room.
Chicago’s pass rush was inconsistent and flat out disappointing last season. Instead of adding some help of the edge (either in free agency, the draft, or via trade), the Bears have been focusing more on teaching technique and improving get-off with the same players from the prior season.
Head coach Ben Johnson believed Montez Sweat played the best season of his career in 2025 and views Austin Booker as a breakout player. Chicago is also hoping to evaluate Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner, both coming off season-ending injuries, in pads at camp before considering any outside move.
In the meantime, options continue drying up and the latest news from ESPN’s Adam Schefter hints another veteran’s name can be crossed off the potential short-list.
Adam Schefter believes Joey Bosa won’t play in 2026, crossing him off the list for the Chicago Bears
Exactly one week ago, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz floated free agent pass rusher Joey Bosa as a possible option, a good scheme fit, for the Chicago Bears. He is certainly an intriguing option for the Bears to consider if they’re not pleased with the current state of the room in training camp. However, Schefter dropped a bucket of cold water on that idea.
“It is more likely than not that Joey Bosa has played his last NFL down,” Schefter said on his podcast. “Now, again, could a situation like the 49ers come along that entices him enough to come out and play again? Yeah, absolutely. We saw it happen last year with Philip Rivers, so you never know when a player is fully done and when he’s not done. But, the fact of the matter is, I think if the Niners wanted to pair those two together, it probably would have happened already. I think if Joey Bosa wanted to play football, it probably would have happened already.”
Schefter might be prematurely calling it a career for Bosa, but if he decides to hang up the cleats after a decade in the NFL, it wouldn’t be surprising. Bosa will be 31-years-old when the season starts and has dealt with multiple injuries throughout his career.
Last year, he ended up playing 15 games for the Buffalo Bills, the most games he’s played in a single season since 2021, and played at a solid level recording 5.0 sacks and a 12.2 percent pass rush win rate. If he wanted to continue playing, teams like the Bears could have viewed him as a rotational one-year mercenary off the edge.
What options remain for the Chicago Bears, if the team even considered making an addition?
Again, it’s worth noting that we don’t even know if the Bears are interested in adding to the room this year. It all depends on how the returning players look once pads come on and the coaches have a proper evaluation of the room. If they decide an addition is necessary before the season, the options are now slim.
The top two remaining options are Von Miller and Jadeveon Clowney, two older veterans that showed they had a little bit more in the tank last season. And then you have Za’Darius Smith, who was recently released from the reserve-retired list by the Philadelphia Eagles, and Haason Reddick.
Really, the best option right now for the Bears would be to enter into the regular season with the current group. If they aren’t playing up to par early in the season, Chicago should just rip the trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby before the deadline – who, by that point, should be a much healthier player.
It’d be an expensive move, but that is and always has been, the best option for the Bears this entire offseason to upgrade the pass rush off the edge.