A year ago, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles pulled off one of the NFL’s best position unit turnarounds.

The Bears’ offensive line entered last offseason in desperate need of a revamp after opponents sacked quarterback Caleb Williams a team-record 68 times in 2024. Poles responded by bringing in four new starters who helped the Bears have one of the best lines in the NFL.

A year later, Poles will need to pull off another renovation, this time with his defensive line.

Chicago didn’t get much production from its defensive line in 2025. The unit struggled to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks for much of the year and ranked near the bottom in stopping the run.

But despite how immediate improving the offensive line last offseason seemed, it doesn’t mean it can easily be replicated.

“I think it’s always possible,” Poles said in Indianapolis this week. “Things have got to come together. That mindset was there from the day I walked in. But those opportunities, the clarity we needed, wasn’t all there. So we were able to capitalize on some cool situations there through trade and free agency.

“I’m not sure how that’s all going to line up now.”

It all lined up for Poles around this time last offseason. He started making changes a week before the NFL’s new league year and free agency was set to begin.

Poles started by trading a sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for right guard Jonah Jackson. A day later, Poles used a fourth-round pick to acquire All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs. He added the top center available, Drew Dalman, at the start of free agency a week later.

There are some candidates both in the trade market and free agency with whom the Bears could potentially replicate last year’s process.

Despite Las Vegas Raiders’ general manager John Spytek’s insistence this week that the franchise won’t move star defensive end Maxx Crosby, rumors continued about potential trades, some including the Bears. There could also be some unknown trade candidates who might become cap casualties like Thuney did last offseason.

Free agency will also feature some top defensive linemen. Trey Hendrickson is the best pass rusher available in the open market and has a history with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Other linemen like Jaelan Phillips and Odafe Oweh also headline the group.

But the Bears are in a tighter financial spot than they were a year ago. Chicago ranks in the bottom 10 in cap space and are currently a little over $4 million above the cap, according to Over The Cap.

That could preclude what the Bears can do both in free agency and the trade market. Hendrickson and other will likely want a lucrative contract, while a trade might be hard to work out, though a player like wide receiver DJ Moore could be used in a potential offer.

“Just free agency, there’s some guys out there that we feel like could help us out,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. “We certainly feel good about some of the guys that we currently have in the building, that they will continue to ascend and take the coaching that [Allen] and the defensive staff are providing for them. But for us to take the next step as a defense, we do need to pressure the quarterback in a more consistent clip. And so that is a point of emphasis for us.

“I do think this draft does have some guys that could possibly help us out in that regard. But that’ll be something that we’ve got to look at.”

The draft is where Poles eventually found his fourth starter on the offensive line last offseason.

He selected left tackle Ozzy Trapilo with one of his three second-round picks in last year’s draft. Trapilo eventually became the team’s starter at left tackle and started in six regular-season games and in the playoffs before getting injured against the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Wild Card round.

That could be where Poles brings in the most reinforcements this time around. The Bears are slated to have all of their picks in April, starting with No. 25 overall pick in the first round.

The Bears were still evaluating what’s going to be available in the draft at the combine this week. Poles said on an initial look he thought the defensive ends group was deeper than defensive tackle.

He and his staff have a good idea for what they’re looking for after gaining a better understanding of what Allen is looking for at the defensive line compared to a year ago.

“Motor, relentlessness, violence, explosive,” Poles said. “And then I just want to continue to improve our defensive speed. I think we saw that a little bit with Green Bay and some of the games down the stretch. I want to improve our defensive speed overall. So those are some of the factors we’re going to look at.”

Despite the emphasis on the line, the Bears will have other defensive needs to address both in free agency and the draft. The team doesn’t have a safety under contract who was a contributor last season, and it’s likely that linebacker Tremaine Edmunds will become a cap causality.

“I think it’s always possible. Things have got to come together. That mindset was there from the day I walked in. But those opportunities, the clarity we needed wasn’t all there. So we were able to capitalize on some cool situations there through trade and free agency. I’m not sure how that’s all going to line up now.”

—  Ryan Poles, Chicago Bears general manager

Poles also invested in the D-line last offseason. He signed defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to big contracts last offseason and used a second-round pick on defensive tackle Shemar Turner. After failing to make an impact because of various injuries last season, Poles remained encouraged that both Odeyingbo and Turner had more to give when they return next season.

It will be interesting to watch how Poles maneuvers everything in order rejuvenate another one of his lines.

“I think there were some situations, mostly injury, that didn’t allow that to really come together the way it was supposed to,” Poles said. “So I look forward to that happening. But we’re also going to have to continue to bring talent in to create competition so that our defense can take the next step.”