The addition of Dayo Odeyingbo was one of the most significant moves of the offseason for the Chicago Bears.
In March, Odeyingbo inked a three-year, $48 million contract with the Bears, including $29.5 million guaranteed. The contract is structured in such a way that he has an $8 million cap hit in 2025 and a $20.5 million cap hit in 2026, making him difficult to move after 2025.
With the presence of Pro Bowl edge rusher Montez Sweat on one side, Chicago added Odeyingbo in the hope he’ll provide a dominant presence on the other, helping to free up Sweat a bit more in the process.
One ESPN analyst has thrown some cold water on that idea. In his annual NFL regular season projections, ESPN’s Mike Clay has Odeyingbo projected to finish with just 5.9 sacks.
A Glance Back at Odeyingbo’s First 4 Seasons
GettyThe Chicago Bears need DE Dayo Odeyingbo to produce,
Selected in the second round (54th overall) of the 2021 draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Odeyingbo had a slow start to his NFL career. Recovering from an Achilles injury as a rookie, he appeared in 10 games in a reserve role, finishing with a forced fumble and 0.5 sacks. In 2022, he played all 17 games, starting four. He had 11 QB hits and 5 sacks that year, playing 46% of Indy’s defensive snaps.
The 2023 season marked a breakout of sorts for Odeyingbo. He played in all 17 games, netting 38 tackles (nine for loss), 8.0 sacks and two forced fumbles. In 2024, he had a career-high 14 starts, but his numbers went down a bit. He finished with 31 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 17 quarterback hits.
Odeyingbo’s versatility made him an attractive free agent option for new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. The veteran D-lineman is capable of lining up at multiple positions, and at 6-foot-6 and 286 pounds, he has the size and athleticism to be a force from both the edge and the inside.
The Bears are hoping Odeyingbo nets more than 6.0 sacks per season, but Clay’s projections are likely largely based on his previous production (Dayo has averaged just over 4.0 sacks a year over his four seasons). If Allen maximizes the young DE’s talents, he could net far more than that.
Numbers don’t tell the entire story, though.
Bears, DC Dennis Allen Will Do Everything They Can to Prevent Dayo Odeyingbo From Being a Bust
The Bears’ financial investment in Odeyingbo shows that they’re confident in his potential to become a key contributor. One NFL executive told The Athletic that Odeyingbo has the upside to record 8-10 sacks annually, which is far from what Clay projected. Allen has a reputation for bringing the best out of his players, so he likely sees traits in Odeyingbo he feels confident he can develop further.
“If you watch the tape, you understand how disruptive he can be, both inside and outside,” new Bears head coach Ben Johnson said, before making another excellent point. “He’s 25, he’s played a few years in the league —and this goes into our collaboration and working well in terms of the front office and coaching staff. We believe that there’s even more room to grow for him to continue to get better.”
“I still believe I’m just at the beginning,” Odeyingbo said after getting signed by the Bears, via the team’s official website. “I think I’ve improved consistently every year that I’ve played and I plan to continue to do that. For me, I feel like you should never stop improving as a player, stop getting better as a player. I’m just at the beginning of my career and I have a lot of great things ahead of me.”
The Bears are hoping he’s right.
