INDIANAPOLIS – The Bears have headed a few hours down Interstate 65 on an annual trek to the NFL scouting combine, which starts in earnest Tuesday and continues throughout the week.

RELATED CONTENT:

• State of the Bears series: Biggest strengths; Contract moves; Biggest needs; Salary-cap situation; Free agency primer
• Bears release: DeMarcus Walker; Gerald Everett
• Bears 2025 offseason primer: Salary Cap, NFL draft picks, key dates and more
• Bair Mail: On Josh Sweat, Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles, NFL cap increase

This marks the first such trip general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have made together – realistically in a private plane, not a team caravan from Chicago – to gather information and insight on NFL draft prospects (obviously) and for the team to speak with reps for possible contract extension candidates (surely) and unrestricted free agents about to hit the open market (in hushed tones) during this tentpole event on the NFL calendar.

The Bears will be fully staffed in Indianapolis, where scouts and top coaches stay all week while position coaches typically pop in to evaluate players in their purview. Here’s what the Bears are up to and what fans should keep an eye on during the combine.

Johnson, Poles take the mic

Bears general manager Ryan Poles is set to speak with the media on Tuesday morning in an Indianapolis hotel. Head coach Ben Johnson will do so in an afternoon podium session in the Indiana Convention Center adjacent to Lucas Oil Stadium, the hub of all public things combine-related.

Don’t expect either individual to say who they’re going to sign and who they’re looking to draft at No. 10 overall. In fact, don’t expect hand tipping in any way. Navigating the NFL offseason is a competitive enterprise, and information is leverage and power during times like these. The Bears, or any team for that matter, won’t want to give up anything that could be used against them in a negotiation or on draft day. Despite fan desire for insight, the Bears shouldn’t volunteer much.

It will be interesting to hear about the Johnson/Poles dynamic after working together these past few weeks, and how the coaching staff will have influence over player acquisition. Also, how things have changed organizationally after onboarding Johnson. Johnson’s first media session since the pomp of his introductory press conference will allow for more forward-looking questions about preferred player traits and what talent it will take to make his offense tick.

It’s clear the Bears need big guys up front, and Poles and Johnson could admit that and the fact that they have tons of cap space. The internal goal from these sessions is to have folks believing the Bears have the assets and willingness to do just about anything. Considering the financial and draft capital they possess, that’s actually true.

Mining nuggets from these sessions will be key. But, as always in the NFL, actions speak louder than anything else.

NFL combine meetings, meetings, meetings

You’ll hear reporters ask most every prospect to hit the podium this week if they’ve met with the team they cover. Odds are great the answer’s yes. It’s not the sign of great interest many think it is, with most teams meeting with their maximum number of prospects, which is a big number.

These can occur in large rooms with smaller tables with a speed-dating sort of feel. They can also take place in Lucas Oil Stadium suites with top scouts, the head coach and coordinator all in attendance, asking the prospect questions and possibly watching/dissecting game film. Teams try to put pressure on and glean as much information as possible from well-coached prospects.

Every touch point is important, at an all-star game, a college pro day and the combine itself. There’s also tons of medical information gathered here, which is as important as anything to come out of the week.

Signs of progress on Kyler Gordon

Both Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen singled out Kyler Gordon’s play as positive during their initial comments as Bears employees, with Allen saying he had a vision for using the talented slot cornerback.

That’s an inference that the Bears are at least interested in a longer-term pact. Gordon’s entering the final year of his rookie contract and won’t be getting cheaper if continues solid play and remains healthy. His reps will certainly be at the combine, and a face-to-face could initiate progress towards an extension. The Bears don’t have to give him one this offseason, but they have the space to do so. Getting it done before free agency starts March 12 would provide a clear sign of what the Bears have to spend on the open market.

Free-agency news and items of note

NFL free agency talks aren’t out in the open just yet. That’ll happen on March 10, when the negotiating window opens and players can start signing with new teams on March 12. But, when the whole league is in one very walkable downtown with but a few NFL social hubs, people talk. Winks and nods will be had and interest can be conveyed at coffee shops and steakhouses and watering holes, greasing wheels for a quick contract agreement during the frenzied first week of free agency.

Every team plays the game. Make no mistake about that. What gets leaked, however, generally insinuates trouble with a current team or a leverage play. Will the Bears be featured in those reports? Possibly not, keeping an ear to the ground is essential during a super-busy week.

Also as a brief aside, it was good of the Bears to release Gerald Everett and DeMarcus Walker when they did, allowing their agents to get a head start negotiating on their behalf at the combine.

When linemen take the stage

It’s hard for the Bears to deny their pressing needs for offensive and defensive linemen. They could have three new starters on the offensive front, maybe more depending on Johnson’s evaluation of incumbents still under contract. There’s no doubt they need a threating frontline edge rusher, plus quality depth at end and tackle.

The defensive linemen will speak to the media on Wednesday and work out for teams on Thursday afternoon, executing drills that will also be broadcast on NFL Network. The offensive linemen will talk to the media on Saturday and conduct workouts on Sunday. The Bears will have a viewing suite to watch the workouts, generally with scouts and position coaches and coordinators, too, if they’re not otherwise engaged. Expect jaw-dropping numbers from those possibly selected in the first and second rounds.

The Bears will be meeting with these prospects and surely keeping a close eye on them as they proceed through the pre-draft process. The numbers produced during the workout are only a small part of the bigger-picture draft evaluation, as they try to find value with each of the assets available to them. While the Bears have been super active this winter assembling a staff, the offseason gets cranked up this week and mostly stays that way through free agency and the draft. Every move made between now and then will provide some information about their intentions and how they plan to go about improving a five-win team and getting it ready for Johnson’s guidance and culture building.