Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Have the Bears done enough to replace 2025's defensive difference-makers?

Episode Date: March 12, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote debated whether the Bears have done enough to replace their defensive difference-makers from the 2025 roster who have left the organization this offseason.

Harry Harrison Grody. Could you imagine Lovey Smith doing the whole good, better, best thing? And saying bleep the Packers. Come on, guys. Good better best. Never let it rest. I'll see you on Tuesday. Middays 10 to 2 on 1043, the score.

This is Rahimi Harrison Grody on 1043 The Score. Mark Grody and Layla Rahimi are in with you on this Thursday. And we are awaiting later today to hear from, the Bears front office. Ryan Poles is speaking and I think that that's important because we haven't heard from him a lot, which is really, really good to know. So we'll hear from him. I think we're also expecting to hear from some of the Bears' new acquisitions. So that'll be really helpful to help fill in our gaps over at Hallis Hall. But in the meantime, Marshall and I were talking about this yesterday, Mark, the waves of free agency and how you kind of time them. I feel like this is the close of the first

major wave of free agency. When the league tampering window opens on Monday, you get all the smattering of free agent news on the first day and then it kind of closes out and then the GM speaks because it's a new league year. And then we'll get like the details guys signing like Nashan Wright

did last year. You know, that was the Bears have also added these guys and it's like 10 guys who they've signed or something. So now that this first wave of free agency is closed, do you, Mark, feel like the Bears have done enough in replacing the players who left with guys who can help this team improve on the record

they had last year? I think it's a good start to what they have done with, you know, specifically the signing of Kobe Bryant was a good signing. The fact that Kevin Byard is not coming back to the Bears is bad. So there's another hole. And I don't think Chiquan Bristker is walking through that door either. I'm, okay with Devin Bush as well to be paired with DeMarco Jackson and T.J. Edwards and maybe, maybe the speedy Ruben Hippolyte as well. You added a little depth on the line with Neville Gallimore. You went out and got your center and then you got a bunch of depth pieces as well. To me, it's a good start, but there's still lots of holes as we sit here right now.

There's no way I can say that this Bears team is better on paper than what. what they had than what they, that won 11 games for them last year. And that's where I sit with this is when I consider how many one-score games the Bears won and how we talk about so much, how we discuss, you know, the plays that a guy like, yeah, Tremaine Edmonds may have not been what you wanted him to be in the totality of his career with the Bears. He got released in the last year of his contract. But he still led the team and tackles in the regular season despite missing four games.

he had 112 tackles. He had four interceptions. That was near the top of the league. Thankfully, Kobe Bryant also had four interceptions in the regular season, so that puts him in familiar territory. But Kevin Byrd was an outright playmaker last year. He obviously helped win you a couple games. And then there's the play of Nashan Wright,

who helped you out in some close games, especially against the Vikings as well. Like I think about that interception in the end zone. Well, when it's a two-point win, Mark, How can you tell me taking a touchdown away doesn't matter? So then when you try to put in to place those performances and how they actually affected points on the board and wins and losses, it's really hard for me to see right now based on who they've signed, how that's going to help the team?

Because when playmakers go away, do you have enough playmakers in their places at the prices you need them to be under a salary cap? The Bears had 33 takeaways last year, and you just mentioned the two key guys. Kevin Byard and Nashon Wright were responsible for, including fumbles, at least 12 interceptions and at least, what, three fumble recovery? So let's just say. And then add in Tremaine's four interceptions. Oh, yeah, and in Tremaine's. And didn't he have a fumble too, I believe, like a recovery.

Yeah, he did. Yeah, he had a scoop and nearly score, I think. Yeah. So, okay. So, so how. So that's how many. 17? 17.

17 of the 33 takeaways. Those guys are gone. And if you want to even narrow it down a little bit more just to the interceptions, the Bears had 23 picks last year. So 12, like I said, it'd be more than half. Oh, and then add in to Edmonds'. What was it for? Edmonds.

So seven for Byrd, five for Nashan Wright. That's 12. Another four for Edmonds. 16. The 23 picks are gone. And that's what I'm trying to figure out. That is the part that I try to quantify. And then without those, Leila, real quick, without the takeaway.

which I think we could all agree that to some degree, takeaways are fortunate. Right place, right time. I'm not saying that some of them aren't schemed and some of them aren't from watching tape and knowing what the other team is doing. I would be insulting people's sensibilities if that wasn't part of it.

But let's face it, there's a luck factor. The Bears, without the takeaway, with all the takeaways they had last year, Bears passing defense, 22nd, the rush defense, 27th in the league. Total defense, 29th. Sacks for the Bears. 35 of them tied for 22nd.

So even with all of, that's how dependent the Bears' defense was on takeaways last year. And teams, they're nice. And maybe the Bears will have another 33 takeaways next year. But you cannot depend on that going into a season. As a matter of fact, you have to look at it as if maybe this guy will have two or three or four interceptions, but not seven to ten. That's seven interceptions led the NFL this year. Well, and that's it. is I know that it was

a stroke of luck. We talk about that. We all knew that it wasn't sustainable, at least not for multiple seasons. We knew that. The fact that it was sustainable for a season is wild. And then do you know who's behind on who also left and is behind those guys on interceptions? He's two.

C.D. Gardner Johnson. So everybody who had multiple interceptions for you last year is gone. Is there anybody who had multiple interceptions or fumble recoveries or force fumbles that is left on this team. Yes, DeMarco Jackson. Thank you, DeMarco. Welcome back, buddy.

7.5 million. This is a long table. Tyreek Stevenson, two forced fumbles. And they don't really like Tyreek Stevenson. So that doesn't really help us. Montes-Wet had three force-fulness. Okay, that's legit. That's legit.

He had 10 sacks too. And listen, that's the thing. Montes-Wet performed better last year than he did the year before. He came on strong. Do I still have some residual issue with what happened the year before? Yes. Well, you should, and even the beginning of the season. There were times, remember when I had that interview with him.

The interview, I think he had had a sack, but I had to ask him about, like, where has the production been? And he told me, look, it's a new defense. People don't realize that. Dennis Allen's defense, and we're all learning. And then he slowly progressed and got to 10 sacks on the season. And that's slow and steady won his race. It did. It did.

But when you watch the Super Bowl and you see the exemplary defense in the league, and that's the last game I watched. I'm like, oh man. Yeah, sticks near. But we got there, Kobe Bryant. And I'm happy about that. I thought that that was a good pickup. It's a good pickup. When you consider the way the bear season went last year,

and you just name off how many people we told you made significant impact, significant to the point where the previous head coach, not as much Ben Johnson, but Maddie Rufluz told you how much turnovers determine wins and losses to lose your seven. You're five interception guy with three fumble recoveries. You're four interception guy with a fumble recovery and you're two interception guy. That leaves a big hole. And is it enough to ask yourself a question with a harder schedule?

Can you get us from point A to B and get us back in the playoffs? Doesn't mean the bears won't get back in the playoffs, but they are not as good right now at this moment just looking through it. And part of it is because they're literally missing starters. Right now. And Leila, we just talked about the defense for the last 12, 13 minutes. We didn't even get into the offense and the fact that maybe their most important offensive linemen is not on this team in Drew Dalman.

The patchwork is coming for the left tackle spot. Can they do it too? I know they put it together last year with Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet and Ozzie Tripillo when he was healthy. But that was hard. That was maximum effort for the Bears to. to make left tackle work last year. Yeah, that's not the max that we want to talk about.

I mean, it is. But it wasn't the max of the day that we wanted to prioritize. 312, 6444, 67, 67 is our number. We've gotten a lot of texts. We're getting some calls. So we will talk about this more coming up next here on Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 1043, the score.