One Big Mistake That Could Haunt the Chicago Bears

Back in March, the Bears signed edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo to a 3-year, $48 million deal — $16 million annually — with $32 million guaranteed. At the time, some questioned whether GM Ryan Poles was overpaying. Now, with training camp and preseason just about wrapped up, it’s starting to look like one of the Bears biggest mistakes in what otherwise appears to have been a very strong offseason.

After reviewing the All-22, Odeyingbo didn’t stand out as a pass rusher and struggled against the run. According to PFF, he posted the second-worst pass rush grade on the team during preseason (50.2). He did record four total pressures and one QB hit, but no sacks. To be fair, it’s a small sample size — just 16 pass-rush snaps. Even Montez Sweat had only 13 attempts, so the numbers aren’t the full story. I break it down a bit more in the video below.

Still, this always felt like a projection signing. Odeyingbo is 25 years old, stands 6’5” and 282 pounds, and was a 2nd-round pick in 2021. With the Colts, he notched 3 sacks in 2024 and a career-high 8 in 2023. The tools are there, but so far, he hasn’t flashed on tape or in camp.

When you hand someone $48 million, you expect to feel confident about the investment. With Week 1 just two weeks away, Odeyingbo hasn’t provided that reassurance — and this could end up being one of the bigger misses of Ryan Poles tenure.

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