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Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers of the Denver Broncos.
The Chicago Bears need help on the defensive line and one of the members of the Denver Broncos‘ defense is on the radar.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report named the Bears one of the top two candidates for defensive end/tackle John Franklin-Myers alongside the Dallas Cowboys.
“The 29-year-old is a disruptive difference-maker who has been productive at every stop and in multiple roles,” Knox wrote. “Franklin-Myers has spent time at both defensive tackle and defensive end, and he’s shown an ability to rush the passer from either spot. While not a true edge-rusher, Franklin-Myers is a capable pressure man who has thrived in the Denver Broncos’ defense over the past two seasons.”
Franklin-Myers tallied 39 quarterback pressures, 23 hurries, 18 stops and eight sacks this season, ranking as the 53rd-best interior defender out of 134 players who qualified at the position in 2025 based on Pro Football Focus’s grading system.
Knox projected that Franklin-Myers, who is 29 years old and heading into his eighth NFL campaign in 2026, will get a raise from the two-year, $15 million contract he’s currently playing on and will net a three-year deal worth $44 million from either Chicago or Dallas.
Franklin-Myers will play in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 24 after the Broncos outlasted the Buffalo Bills in overtime (33-30) during the Divisional Round on Saturday.
John Franklin-Myers Makes Sense as Part of Multi-Pronged Plan to Improve Bears’ Pass Rush
GettyDefensive lineman John Franklin-Myers of the Denver Broncos.
Franklin-Myers’ blend of positional versatility and dual run/pass skill set would make sense on a value contract if Chicago also plans to bolster the pass rush in the first round of April’s draft.
Jordan Reid of ESPN predicted in a mock draft earlier this month that the Bears will key in on edge-rusher Cashius Howell from Texas A&M.
“Howell would give Chicago a tenacious, energetic edge-rusher, as his 11.5 sacks this season were the fourth most in the FBS,” Reid projected. “Howell’s size (6-foot-2, 248 pounds) and arm length might scare off some teams, but the Bears need a disruptive pass rusher to complement veteran Montez Sweat. Howell would be just that.”
Bears Could Also Pursue Blue-Chip Defensive End Like Maxx Crosby in Offseason
GettyLas Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.
The Bears ended the regular season with the league’s 29th-ranked defense. The unit registered a total of 35 sacks across 17 games, which came in at 22nd in the NFL. Chicago’s defense was also just 31st in pass rush win rate at 28.8 percent.
If the team believes it needs to take a bigger swing on a superstar-level pass-rusher, a trade for Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders could provide a pathway. Crosby is unhappy in Las Vegas after the franchise shut him down for the final two games of the year against his wishes, and multiple league insiders are projecting that for the first time in his career, Crosby may be open to a trade.
However, the Bears would probably need to part with two first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 to land Crosby, who is playing on a nine-figure deal and is under contract through 2029.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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