The Bears are adding some meaningful depth to their defense. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team is signing defensive back Cam Lewis to a two-year deal. Meanwhile, Jordan Schultz reports that the Bears have also agreed to a deal with defensive end Kentavius Street.
While he never had a major role with the Bills, Lewis was a popular player in Buffalo. After going undrafted out of State University of New York at Buffalo, he caught on with the Bills in 2019. He proceeded to spend the next seven seasons with the organization, working his way up from practice squad player to part-time starter.
Lewis saw his most responsibility over the past two years, when he got into a combined 968 defensive snaps. He started 10 of his 34 appearances over that stretch, tallying 111 tackles, eight passes defended, and a pair of forced fumbles. He notably played all over the defense, spending time at safety, outside and slot cornerback, and even defensive line. He’ll likely serve a versatile role in Chicago, although the Bears secondary remains in flux with a number of players hitting free agency.
Street spent the past two-plus years in Atlanta, where he tallied four sacks in 25 games. He was cut by the team at the end of the 2025 preseason, but after catching on with their practice squad, he rejoined the active roster in November. He proceeded to make seven appearances for the Falcons down the stretch, finishing with 21 stops and two sacks. He’ll likely serve as a depth piece on Chicago’s defensive line in 2026.
I was hoping it said Cam Jordan
Aside from Sweat, their whole D line is made up of “depth pieces”.
Some new faces but the same level of talent. How is that supposed to improve a 27th ranked run defense?
And Sweat is not a world beater. He plays about 60% of team’s defensive snaps.
This guy does exactly what they said Odeyingbo was going to do last year. Play some DE an move inside on 3rd down to pass rush. Hopefully he lasts longer. At least he’s cheaper. Not sure why they keep stealing from the Colts and Falcons defenses. They’re not exactly juggernauts. Epenessa might have been a bust too but he has a higher ceiling than any of these other guys. These guys are just filler. Hopefully the draft brings somebody and Turner makes it back. MVP for the Bears next year might be the Rehab staff.
Time to swoop in and take advantage of the Crosby situation. Offer a second this year and a second next year. Raiders have no leverage unless they want to back out on other deals or trades.
Poles was smart enough to stay away from Maxx in the first place and I’m pretty sure he’ll keep away now. Signing Street was about the level they had the money for. Bears never did have either the draft capital or the Cap space for Maxx at any time. Wanting him now at any price would be a major mistake. Just walk away. I would have rather taken a shot at a guy like Epenessa but that’s just me. This guy is just a replacement for Dominique Robinson in all probability. It’s not really sexy but it’s fine. The DB sounds like a versatile guy which always helps. A guy who can fill more than 1 role is very valuable in today’s NFLIn their own way and the Bears might have to do a lot of shuffling around due to the Cap. Al Harris is still here which helps immensely. I’m so glad he didn’t get poached. I still say maybe moving Gordon to S is in play here. Maybe he can stay healthier than playing at the line of scrimmage as a nickel. Raiding the Colts and Falcons defenses seems odd but this is more about what Allen wants than anything else. They still have moves they can make. Might not happen until draft day but they still could use more picks IMO.
Street fighting and smash mouth defenses were once the hallmark of Bears teams… so let’s get back to that.