Ryan Poles: ‘We’re Going to Remain Active’ with Defensive Line

Ben Johnson, in particular, was complimentary of the skillset Logan Jones has and went into detail about the “uncoachable (traits)” Logan has in his possession. The combination of film, athletic testing, and their in-person interviews sold him to the Bears’ staff and netted him a spot on their priority list. Further along in this conversation came the statement that there will be competition at center. How likely it will be for Logan Jones to win the starting job outright remains to be seen.

Bears staff is incredibly excited over the potential of DT Jordan van den Berg and WR Zavion Thomas

Of course, not every draft pick was met with a rousing applause or a stamp of approval from the fan base. While I, along with many others, enjoyed seeing the trade up for Georgia Tech’s defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg to tie the figurative bow on this class, many of us did not expect to hear LSU receiver Zavion Thomas’s name called so early in round three. I’ll address the latter first.

When Ben Johnson was asked about what role Zavion could have moving forward and why he was drafted somewhat early, Ben delivered a straightforward response. “He’s a 4.2 guy,” a player whose speed and diverse skillset really elevated their grade in the eyes of the Bears. Most websites had Zavion Thomas rated as a 6th rounder to UDFA, which after further research, is completely unrealistic. The latest any receiver has ever gone after running a (4.28u) or better was the 5th round (JJ Nelson in 2015). Opportunities to move Zavion around as a chess piece and his outstanding kick return skills made him worth the selection at 89th overall in contrast to popular sentiment.

Now, the case of Jordan van den Berg is more so a projection on a DL-needy team like the Bears as opposed to the value of the pick itself. To make this happen, where the Bears weren’t originally scheduled to pick in the sixth round at all, Ryan Poles packaged both of their seventh round selections to move up for the Johannesburg (South Africa) native. Per Ryan Poles, the motivation behind this trade was the realization his talents were not likely to fall out of the sixth round. They took their chances and moved up for the second time on day three after previously trading up for Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad (a steal, I say) in the fourth.

So… what about defensive end?

That remains the biggest question on the Bears’ roster by far. A total of zero external additions and one possible internal addition — Shemar Turner being kicked outside to end — has plenty of people skeptical about the defense’s chances for a turnaround in 2026. What was more baffling for outsiders looking in was the draft’s perceived depth advertised throughout this entire process. Ryan Poles mentioned that 1) this is part of reality when drafting late and still addressing needs and 2) the board simply didn’t fall in a way he felt comfortable taking higher graded players off their board *just* to address their need at defensive end.

Perhaps the most important clue in this whole segment was the following statement. “We are going to remain active, see what opportunities pop up, and if there are any moves that will improve our football team, we will do it.” Granted, that is a generalized statement for all positions across the depth chart. Yet the combination of no movement at defensive end so far and previous confirmation of trade interest in players like Maxx Crosby will make you ponder on what they have planned next. The trade market is still alive and kicking, for what it’s worth.

During day two of the draft, the Philadelphia Eagles pulled off a long-anticipated trade for now-former Minnesota Vikings EDGE Jonathan Greenard for a pair of 3rd round selections (#98 in 2026 and their 2027 3rd rounder). Also, the New Orleans Saints acquired former 1st round pick Tyree Wilson from the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s not all of what is being passed down the grapevines.

There has been noise of the New York Giants shopping DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (and potentially Brian Burns) following their selection of Arvell Reese. Based on the Raiders’ previous decisions and major additions between Malcolm Koonce, Kwity Paye, and 2026 3rd round selection Keyron Crawford, I’m not totally convinced Maxx Crosby is unavailable despite being traded once already this offseason. Ryan Poles didn’t shoot that possibility down in a previous presser as well.

The Bears’ situation at defensive end could take all the way to the trade deadline for a resolution. There is historic precedent with the Bears making late trades for defensive ends, including the acquisition of Adewale Ogunleye in 2004, Khalil Mack in 2018, and Montez Sweat at the deadline in 2023. And this is a move a team entering their Super Bowl window can easily justify.

Whatever price Ryan Poles has set for himself at this position group remains to be seen. He will not pull the trigger until he’s comfortable with the bottom-line cost. With all the other positions already getting answers between the start of free agency and the draft, we might have our answer for defensive end as well. All that’s left is to just play the waiting game.