The Chicago Bears have to feel like they’re just a few pieces away from making some big-time noise in the NFC.
They won the NFC North in Ben Johnson‘s first season as head coach, and they beat their biggest rival, the Green Bay Packers, in the playoffs.
The next step would be, hypothetically, gearing up for a Super Bowl run.
That means adding a bit more talent, and it’s worth noting that Greg Auman of Fox Sports sees them doing just that.
On a list ranking the top 100 free agents of this upcoming offseason, Auman believes Cincinnati Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson is the fourth-best player available.
He predicted that Hendrickson is going to sign with the Bears, and he believes Chicago may get a steal financially.
“Hendrickson, 31, doesn’t have the luster he had a year ago. Instead of coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons and four straight Pro Bowls, he’s now coming off core muscle surgery in December that limited him to four sacks in seven games in 2025. He got a one-year, $29 million deal from the Bengals last year, but isn’t likely to draw as much this time around,” Auman wrote.
Trey Hendrickson could put Chicago Bears defense over the top
The Bears had an extremely opportunistic defense in 2025. In fact, they led the league in turnovers created with 33 in the regular season. They notched 23 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries.
Where they weren’t as good was in getting after the quarterback. Chicago totaled just 35 sacks in 2025, which was tied for the seventh-least in the NFL.
As mentioned, Hendrickson is coming off an injury, but he’s notched 81 sacks in his nine-year NFL career.
When healthy, he’s a premier pass-rusher.
We know that Johnson will have quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears offense humming again next season. A player like Hendrickson on defense could absolutely put their defense over the top, though.
Especially if they can get him at a deal, the Bears should absolutely go all-in for the Bengals pass-rusher.