ESPN's latest 2026 NFL mock draft sends Bears reinforcement on defense

The Chicago Bears' offense is trending in the right direction this season. In fact, there's a chance that Ben Johnson's squad will finish 2025 as the best rushing offense in the NFL.

That, combined with Caleb Williams' obvious development, has the Bears' 2026 outlook extremely high. And there's still a lot of football left to be played in 2025.

The Bears are trending as a potential playoff team as Week 15 inches closer. Sitting at 9-4 and in second place in the NFC North, Chicago has a winnable game against the Cleveland Browns before squaring off with the arch-rival Packers again in Week 16.

If the Bears earn their 10th win in frigid temps at Soldier Field, they'd likely only need one more win to clinch a playoff berth.

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Whether or not they get that win could come down to how well the defense plays. Specifically, Chicago's playoff hopes could rest on whether Dennis Allen's group can generate enough of a pass rush to rattle the likes of Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, and Jared Goff over the final weeks of the season.

Montez Sweat is having a nice bounce-back year, but he's been a lone wolf pass-rusher for the Bears this season. He leads the team with 8.5 sacks.

The next closest true edge rusher is Dominique Robinson, who has 1.5 sacks entering Week 15. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has four, and new addition Chauncey Gardner-Johnson has three. But the lack of production at edge rusher has been a big problem for this team.

And that's where ESPN's latest 2026 NFL mock draft comes in.

NEXT: Here's who ESPN sends the Bears

ESPN's Field Yates sends Bears logical first-round pick in 2026 mock draft

Field Yates published a new 2026 NFL Mock Draft for ESPN on Wednesday, and he sent the Bears the kind of pass-rush help that Montez Sweat desperately needs.

At pick No. 23, the Bears land Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell.

"Coordinator Dennis Allen's defense has exceeded expectations with an NFL-high 27 takeaways despite plenty of injuries," Yates wrote. "But this team needs a spark on the defensive line opposite 29-year-old Montez Sweat. And at this spot, Howell would be the most explosive pass rusher on the board. He stepped into a much larger role for the Aggies this season and thrived, as his 11.5 sacks are tied for fourth most in the FBS. His ability to torque his body and turn a corner tightly is among the best in the class. The Bears are tied for the worst pass rush rate in the NFL (28.6%), so this match makes sense."

Howell led the SEC in sacks with 11.5 and is the first Aggie to ever be named SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

MORE: Bears vs. Browns is gonna be a cold one

Much of what happens with the Chicago Bears in the 2026 NFL Draft will depend on where they select in the first round. This mock draft is a perfect example. The Bears were able to snag a player with this much upside because they lost to the Packers, which moved them from the 31st overall pick to No. 23.

Obviously, Bears fans would prefer a later-first-round selection, even if it means missing out on a player with more pass-rushing ability.

Regardless of where Chicago ends up selecting in the first round, Bears Nation can bet it will be a player who bolsters the team's pass rush.