Story byMay 9, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen (L), general manager Ryan Poles (C) and head coach Ben Johnson (R) observe during the Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Liora ZeqiriMon, March 2, 2026 at 8:54 PM UTC·2 min readOn Tuesday, February 24, Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles and Head Coach Ben Johnson held press conferences at the NFL Combine. Following a successful season in which the Bears surged in momentum through the city, fans were eagerly anticipating their interviews. There have been speculations about who Chicago is targeting based on last season’s outcome. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPressure Is the PriorityIt’s clear that defensive gaps were shown towards the end of the season, and this is exactly what Poles wants to fill. When asked about what he’s looking for in defensive line prospects, he said, “Motor, relentlessness, violence, explosive…continue to improve our defensive speed overall.”Along with this, there were a multitude of defensive injuries that Poles touched on as well, specifically linemen Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner, “…if anything, training camp will be the spot where they come back, and there’s a process…that we’ll go through,” and “I expect both those guys to help us next year.”Questions about defensive struggles were also posed to Johnson, who highlighted crucial elements he’s looking for.