The Interior Job: Why the Bears’ Super Bowl Hopes Die in the B-Gap
Let’s not mince words: The Chicago Bears are a high-speed Ferrari with a transmission made of wet cardboard.
We just watched Mike Macdonald hoist the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl LX, and while everyone is busy salivating over the Seahawks’ exotic blitzes or their secondary’s “Legion of Boom 2.0” vibes, Macdonald himself dropped the real truth bomb. He said, and I quote, “If you can defend the run in split safety… that’s some high-powered stuff.”
Translation for the folks in the back: If your big boys in the middle can’t stop a stiff breeze, your fancy two-high safety shell is just a decorative curtain.
Right now, Dennis Allen is running that same high-powered scheme in Chicago. He’s showing two-high safeties on 45% of snaps — the third-highest rate in the league. He wants to play that game. He wants to disguise coverages and make QBs see ghosts. But you know what happens when you play two-high with a soft middle? You get gashed. You get bullied. You get treated like a JV squad in the trenches.
The Bears ranked 7th-worst in rushing yards allowed (131.4) and 4th-worst in yards per carry (5.0) in 2025. That isn’t just a “bad stat.” That is a schematic death sentence. You cannot claim to be a championship contender when every 1st-and-10 feels like a 4-yard gift to the opposition.
If Ryan Poles wants to actually finish the “Masterclass” we’ve been praising him for, he needs to stop looking at the shiny objects on the perimeter and start hunting for some glass-eaters to put next to Gervon Dexter.
The Dennis Allen Dilemma: Math Doesn’t Lie
Dennis Allen’s defense is built on a lie. It’s a beautiful, tactical lie designed to trick the quarterback into thinking he has a deep shot, only to find a safety capping the route. But for that lie to work, the front four have to be absolute dogs.
In a two-high shell, you’re essentially removing a body from the box. You’re asking six guys to do the job of seven or eight. That means your defensive tackles can’t just “occupy space.” They have to be gap-and-a-half players. They have to command a double team, anchor against it, and still have the twitch to shed and make a play.
In 2025, the Bears’ interior had the anchor of a pool noodle.
When offenses ran zone or gap schemes, our tackles were getting washed out like laundry. Offenses didn’t even have to get creative; they just ran straight at the A and B gaps. By the time our linebackers even saw the ball, the running back was already five yards deep into the secondary, probably waving at Kevin Byard on his way past.
Because the DTs couldn’t hold the point of attack, Allen was forced to do the one thing his scheme hates: Blitz. The Bears blitzed at the 9th-highest rate in the NFL. Why? Because they were desperate. They had to manufacture stops because the four-man rush was non-existent and the run defense was a sieve.
It’s a vicious cycle of suck. You blitz to stop the run, you expose your corners, you give up a big play, and suddenly that “elite” two-high shell is in the trash can where it belongs.
The Current Room: A Mix of “Maybe” and “Has-Been”
Let’s look at the roster, and try not to cry.
| Player | 2025 Performance | The Reality Check |
|---|---|---|
| Gervon Dexter | 6.0 Sacks, 60.0 PFF Grade | The only bright spot, but plays like a pogo stick. Great pass rush, questionable run fits. |
| Grady Jarrett | 1.5 Sacks, $18.9M Cap Hit | A legend, but father time is undefeated. We’re paying for the name, not the production. |
| Shemar Turner | Torn ACL | A 2025 2nd-rounder who we haven’t even seen yet. Can’t bank a championship on a mystery box. |
| Andrew Billings | Rotational | A UFA who probably won’t be back. Solid, but “solid” doesn’t win rings. |
Gervon Dexter is a fascinating player. He’s 4th in PFF pass-rush grade among DTs at certain stretches, and the 6.0 sacks show he’s got the juice. But under Matt Eberflus, he was a one-gap penetrator. Dennis Allen wants him to play a more disciplined, gap-and-a-half style. Right now, Dexter looks like a guy trying to learn a new language while being chased by a bear. He flashes, then he disappears. He needs a running mate — a true 1-technique — who can take the heat off him.
Then there’s Grady Jarrett. God bless him, he’s been a warrior. But 1.5 sacks in 14 games? At a nearly $19 million cap hit? That’s malpractice. In the Divisional Round loss to the Rams, the interior defensive line generated exactly two pressures on Matthew Stafford out of 14 total. That’s pathetic. If you can’t make a statue like Stafford uncomfortable in the biggest game of the year, you don’t deserve to be starting.
The Championship Blueprint (Or: Why Seattle Is Smarter Than Us)
You want to know why Seattle is planning a parade? Because they realized that the middle of the defense is the soul of the team. They played the least amount of “base” defense in the NFL (only 6%!). They lived in nickel and dime packages.
How? Because Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams are absolute freaks. They stopped the run at the highest rate in the NFL while essentially playing with an extra defensive back on the field. They made it look easy.
Look at the Final Four from 2025:
- Seahawks: Murphy & Williams (9+ sacks each, elite run defense).
- Rams: Kobie Turner & Braden Fiske (The guys who literally ended our season).
- Broncos: Zach Allen & John Franklin-Myers (Top-5 scoring defense).
- Patriots: Barmore & Milton Williams (The engine of that surprise run).
Notice a pattern? All of them have interior duos that can wreck a game plan. The Bears had… a guy who’s 33 and a third year guy who’s still figuring out where to put his hands.
Unlocking the Chain Reaction
Upgrading at DT isn’t just about the DTs. It’s about the “Force Multiplier” effect. If Ryan Poles lands a true blue-chip interior defender, here is what happens:
- Sustainable Split Safety: We can actually play the scheme we want. Allen can keep those safeties deep, eliminating the explosive plays that killed us against Green Bay (I’m looking at you, Bo Melton).
- The End of Blitz Dependency: If we can get home with four, we can drop seven. It’s that simple. Jalen Carter won a Super Bowl the year prior by generating a 60% pressure rate with zero blitzes. Imagine Montez Sweat actually having 1-on-1 matchups because the guard is too busy dealing with a 320-pound monster in his face.
- Third Down Dominance: Our 3rd-down defense was already 6th in the league. Now imagine adding a player who demands a double team. Allen’s creative blitzes go from “good” to “unstoppable” when the offense has to account for an elite interior rusher.
The 2026 Draft: Where the Monsters Are
The good news? This draft class is deeper than a Chicago pothole in March. We’re sitting at pick No. 25, and there are three names that should be circled in red on Poles’ board.
1. Kayden McDonald (Ohio State)
This is the dream. He led all FBS interior defenders with a 91.2 PFF run-defense grade. He is a brick wall with feet. He’s the kind of two-gapping, anchor-and-shed beast that makes a two-high safety shell viable. You put him next to Dexter, and suddenly Dexter is free to hunt QBs while McDonald eats double teams for breakfast.
2. Lee Hunter (Texas Tech)
He’s 6’3”, 320 lbs, and he doesn’t move. He’s the human equivalent of a “No Trespassing” sign. If the Bears want to fix their yards-per-carry problem overnight, this is the guy. He’s a dominant run defender who showed out at the Senior Bowl. He’s not a flashy pass rusher, but he doesn’t need to be. He just needs to be unmovable.
3. Caleb Banks (Florida)
If you want the highest ceiling, you look at Banks. He’s got elite size and upper-body strength. He’s a potential three-down defender who can affect the run and the pass. He’s more of a project than McDonald, but the payoff could be Chris Jones-lite.
The Money Problem: No Free Lunch
Look, the cap situation isn’t great. We’re projected at -$9.5 million before any moves. To get under and actually sign anyone, Poles has to get aggressive.
Releasing Tremaine Edmunds saves $15 million. Restructuring a few deals could get us to $28 million. But that money has to cover safety, left tackle (with Trapilo’s injury), and edge depth.
This is why the draft is the only way. We can’t afford to go out and give D.J. Reader a massive bag. We need a cost-controlled, high-impact rookie at No. 25.
Final Verdict
Ryan Poles has done a lot of things right. He got the QB. He got the WRs. He got the offensive coordinator. But he’s neglected the engine room.
The Bears were the 7th-worst team against the run while trying to play a scheme that demands elite run defense. That is a recipe for a first-round exit every single year. You can have Caleb Williams throwing for 4,000 yards, but if the defense is giving up 5 yards a clip on the ground, you aren’t winning anything.
Mike Macdonald told the world exactly what matters. The blueprint is right there. It’s written in blood and dirt in the trenches.
Build the defense from the inside out. Get a monster at DT. Or get used to watching the Super Bowl from your couch.
Bear down.