The Chicago Bears spent Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft adding offense, not the defensive help many expected after a 2025 season in which they ranked 29th in the league in yards allowed per play and sat in the bottom third of nearly every major defensive category.
With three picks on the second day, Chicago took Iowa center Logan Jones in the third round, Stanford tight end Sam Roush after a trade back and LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas at No. 89, giving coach Ben Johnson clear fingerprints across the class. Director of player personnel Trey Koziol said, “That’s the goal with all the picks that we have here,” while general manager Ryan Poles summed up the run by saying, “It’s really how the board shook out.”
The moves fit what the Bears had already done before the draft. They traded for center Garrett Bradbury and signed Kalif Raymond to be their No. 3 wide receiver, then opened the draft by taking safety Dillon Thieneman in Round 1, a player who will definitely start this season. That left Day 2 as less of an emergency repair job than a push to stack competition and deepen spots Johnson values.
Jones said the fit was easy to see once he met with Chicago’s staff. “He loves to run the football, especially outside zone, which is awesome,” Jones said. “That’s exactly how I’ve been taught and what we did. Meeting with him, he likes to put a lot on the center’s plate, which is awesome.” Jones started 51 games at Iowa, and Poles called him a high-character guy.
The picks also showed how the board moved against the Bears. Poles said the club had a good read through its research that defensive ends would be a hot spot at the top of Round 2, and that is exactly how it played out: five defensive ends went off the board in the first 13 picks of the second round, with Zion Young going to the Ravens at No. 45, 12 picks before Chicago was on the clock. Poles said that is part of why the Bears stayed put and followed the board.
That choice matters because the defense is still the side of the ball that needs the most repair. The Bears can point to Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo, Montez Sweat and Shemar Turner, and Poles said the team feels good about that group and sees developmental upside in it. He also said Chicago can find edge rushers on Day 3 and that the club has one more day to keep adding players, with a fifth-round pick still in hand.
For now, though, the clearest answer to the question around Gracen Halton and the rest of Chicago’s draft approach is that the Bears chose certainty in the trenches and in the passing game before chasing their defensive wish list. If the Day 2 picks hit, Poles said, Jones could be the starting center through 2027 and beyond, Roush could develop into a No. 2 tight end and special teamer, and Thomas could grow from return man into a No. 3 receiver. The Bears did not fix every hole, but they made sure the next round of answers can come with better timing.