Bear Digest

Bears DE Dayo Odeyingbo listed among players who signed with wrong team in 2025 free agency

The Chicago Bears spent big money on free-agent edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo in 2025 free agency, but does the fit make sense?

Bryan Perez

Christine Tannous/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
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The Chicago Bears have made a lot of great decisions so far during the 2025 NFL offseason. They hired Ben Johnson as head coach, traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and signed center Drew Dalman and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett in free agency.

General manager Ryan Poles also signed defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, the former Indianapolis Colt who is viewed as a reliable three-down defender with pass-rush upside.

Odeyingbo's addition caught some Bears fans by surprise, primarily because he isn't a household name. But his three-year, $48 million contract suggests Chicago thinks he soon will be. Poles is taking a massive leap of faith on Odeyingbo's development.

Odeyingbo is making a similar bet that that development will come in Chicago.

Odeyingbo's NFL career began with a long rehab from a torn Achilles he suffered while preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft. Despite the injury, he was selected in the second round (No. 54 overall), which shows how long the NFL has thought highly of his pro outlook. He managed to play in 10 games his rookie season, but didn't become a regular starter until 2024, when he registered 14 starts.

In 2023, Odeyingbo had a career-high eight sacks, but his regression to only three sacks last season has some analysts wondering if the Bears will get more of the same pass-rush production opposite Montez Sweat that they received from the likes of DeMarcus Walker, who also had three sacks in 2024.

According to a recent breakdown of 2025 free agents who signed with the wrong team, Odeyingbo inking with the Bears is one.

"Two seasons ago, Odeyingbo produced a career-high eight sacks," Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski wrote. "He managed 8.5 through his other three campaigns. Does that warrant a three-year, $48 million free-agent contract? Probably not. But the upside of the defensive lineman's game remains tantalizing."

It's hard to disagree with the suggestion that the Chicago Bears may have misfired a bit with Odeyingbo. His film shows a player who isn't twitchy or explosive. It's not entirely a bad thing; he's a strong and relentless defensive end who sets the edge and is an asset against the run. But is he really the pass rusher the Bears' defense has been missing the last couple of years?

I don't think he is. As a result, I fully expect Chicago to prioritize an edge rusher in the early rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, perhaps even with their first-round pick, No. 10 overall. It's a safe bet to assume Poles won't exit the second round without a pass rusher who can be a pass-rush specialist in his rookie season to help offset any potential downside from the Odeyingbo signing.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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