Two Key Ryan Poles Comments Signal The Bears’ Plans On Defense — And Why It’s Smart

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles spoke to the media for the first time since the beginning of January on Tuesday. The scouting combine is about to begin and the team has lots of work to do in collecting information, both through watching drills and conducting player interviews. While he covered a wide range of topics from D.J. Moore‘s trade status to Caleb Williams’ progress, the overarching theme stayed the same. Everybody wants to know what he has planned to fix the defense.

The unit finished 29th in the NFL last season. If not for leading the league in takeaways, the criticism would’ve been far worse from fans and media. Poles knows he has to bring that side of the ball up to match the team’s offense. What makes it so challenging is that every position group needs help. The Bears have no starting safeties under contract. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds will likely be cut for cap reasons, and the defensive line needs help across the board. What does Poles have planned?

While he didn’t get into specifics, the Bears GM did say he’s focused on one thing: speed.

“I want to improve our defensive speed overall.”

Ryan Poles when asked what he’s looking for in defensive line prospects: pic.twitter.com/6O70M9g701

— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) February 24, 2026

Ryan Poles saw his team routinely gashed by faster offenses.

Detroit, Cincinnati, and San Francisco all put 40+ points on them without breaking a sweat. Even the Baltimore Ravens, without Lamar Jackson, hung 30 on them. Christian Watson of the Green Bay Packers gashed them over and over in every matchup between the two teams. It makes sense that Poles would want to add more explosiveness to the defense. There were already signs of it trending in that direction last year when the Bears drafted Ruben Hyppolite in the 4th round. He was one of the fastest linebackers in the draft.

This means the upcoming 40-yard dash at the combine could play a pivotal role in shaping the Bears’ board. They will focus heavily on the players who post great times, no doubt making sure that speed also shows up on tape. Leaning on takeaways can’t be how this team does its business, not if they want to win a championship. However, the plans don’t stop there. Ryan Poles had a noteworthy comment about the structure of the 2026 draft class, teasing what he may have planned for the 1st round.

Ryan Poles says going into the combine, he believes the edge depth is better than DT. #Bears

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) February 24, 2026

Poles has a history of leaning into the deeper positions in a draft.

Last year was a perfect example. Running back was considered the second deepest position in the 2025 class. The Bears didn’t draft one until the 7th round, and Kyle Monangai still became a solid contributor as a rookie. If Poles is confident a group is deep, he may wait to pluck from it until later rounds and focus on the thinner groups early. That comment about defensive tackle and edge rusher makes those intentions clear. If you look at the list of top 100 prospects in the 2026 class, there are seven defensive tackles and 13 edge rushers.

Rank	Player	Position	College	Key Traits/Notes
3	Arvell Reese	EDGE	Ohio State	Explosive, physical defender with elite closing speed.
4	David Bailey	EDGE	Texas Tech	Ultra-explosive; led nation with 20.2% pressure rate in 2025.
5	Rueben Bain Jr.	EDGE	Miami	Powerful, technical rusher widely seen as a top-10 lock.
16	Peter Woods	DT	Clemson	Quintessential 3-technique with dominant pass-rush upside.
17	Keldric Faulk	EDGE	Auburn	Versatile 6’6″ hybrid with massive developmental upside.
21	Akheem Mesidor	EDGE	Miami	Violent hands and high motor; recorded 12.5 sacks in 2025.
22	Kayden McDonald	DT	Ohio State	Premier space-eating run defender with improving pass-rush polish.
26	Caleb Banks	DT	Florida	Massive (6’6″, 330 lbs) and athletic interior presence.
31	Cashius Howell	EDGE	Texas A&M	Speed rusher with 11.5 sacks in the SEC during the 2025 season.
35	T.J. Parker	EDGE	Clemson	High-floor run defender who posted 11 sacks in 2024.
40	Zion Young	EDGE	Missouri	Long, powerful rusher who excelled during the Senior Bowl.
47	Gabe Jacas	EDGE	Illinois	Productive speed rusher with 19 sacks over his last two seasons.
51	Christen Miller	DT	Georgia	Twitchy interior player effective at two-gapping in run defense.
55	Darrell Jackson Jr.	DT	Florida State	Massive 6’5″, 340-lb interior force with elite length.
61	LT Overton	EDGE/DL	Alabama	Highly versatile; can defend the edge or reduce inside.
73	Romello Height	EDGE	Texas Tech	Athletic edge with consistent disruption metrics.
79	Joshua Josephs	EDGE	Tennessee	Features “pterodactyl” wingspan and elite length at 6’3″.
85	Rayshaun Benny	DT	Michigan	High-mass interior player with 3-4 defensive end versatility.
91	Zane Durant	DT	Penn State	Renowned for weight-room strength; developing pass-rush impact.
97	Dani Dennis-Sutton	EDGE	Penn State	Consistent performer frequently appearing on NFL top 100 boards.

So look at it this way. What odds are better? Taking the best edge rusher with the 25th pick and hoping a solid defensive tackle drops to them in the 2nd round, or taking the best defensive tackle immediately and circling back to edge rusher in the 2nd? The latter is the far sounder strategy. Chicago needs both a nose tackle and an interior pass rusher. They are virtually guaranteed to land one of those in the 1st round. Those odds drop considerably after that. While it is impossible to predict how the first 24 picks go, it feels like Poles’ plan is to address the interior first and find that edge rush help later.