On the surface, the Chicago Bears look like a team on the rise. A contender with momentum. A roster that finally feels balanced on both sides of the ball.
But Lance Zierlein’s latest 2026 NFL mock draft quietly points to a growing concern that isn’t drawing enough attention—and it lives right in the middle of the defense.
With their projected first-round pick, Zierlein sends Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks to Chicago. It’s not a flashy choice. It’s not an edge rusher screaming off the screen or a ball-hawking safety grabbing headlines.
It’s something more uncomfortable.
A signal that the Bears’ interior defensive line may be closer to becoming a liability than most fans want to admit.
Banks isn’t just a space-eater. At 6-foot-6 with rare length and power, he projects as a potential three-down defender—someone who can anchor against the run and still disrupt passing lanes. That versatility is exactly what Chicago’s defense has been missing.
The Bears survived defensively in 2025 by bending, not breaking. Turnovers masked pressure points. Timely plays hid structural issues. But those margins don’t hold forever.
And the middle of the defensive front is where cracks usually start.
Zierlein acknowledged that safety remains a looming concern. Kevin Byard III, Jaquan Brisker, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson are all headed toward free agency. On paper, that looks like the obvious priority.
But defensive tackles with Banks’ profile don’t hit the market often.
Safeties do.
That’s the uncomfortable math behind the projection.
Chicago’s interior defensive line struggled to control games consistently last season. When turnovers didn’t come, opponents were able to stay patient—pounding the middle, extending drives, and forcing the Bears to play reactive football. It wasn’t always obvious. But it was there.
Dennis Allen’s defense thrives when it can dictate terms. When it can collapse pockets without blitzing. When linebackers stay clean and safeties aren’t forced to make tackles five yards past the line of scrimmage.
Without help inside, that structure weakens.
The Bears already showed last offseason that they understand how foundational lines matter. They invested heavily in the offensive line, stabilizing Caleb Williams’ environment and accelerating the offense’s growth.
The defensive line may be next.
Zierlein’s mock draft doesn’t suggest panic. It suggests foresight.
Chicago can address safety through free agency. There’s optimism that Byard could return. Even if Brisker departs, veterans will be available. And the depth of the 2026 draft means a second- or third-round safety could still contribute early.
Interior defensive linemen with Banks’ ceiling don’t usually fall into that category.
If the Bears want sustained success—not just a single window—they’ll need to stop relying on defensive volatility. Turnovers are a bonus. Control is the goal.
And control starts inside.
This projection isn’t about what Chicago lacks today. It’s about what could quietly undo them tomorrow if it goes unaddressed.
The Bears are close.
The question is whether they’re willing to fix the least glamorous problem before it becomes the loudest one.
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