Ben Johnson sounds off on Bears not drafting any edge rushers

The Chicago Bears left some scratching their heads as they opted not to select any edge rushers in the 2026 NFL Draft. In fact, the only defensive lineman that the Bears selected was defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg out of Georgia Tech, who they took in the sixth round with their final selection of the draft.

While they didn't bring in any edge rushers, head coach Ben Johnson explained the reasoning, putting some of it on the coaching staff, believing he has the players on the roster to coach better. On top of the coaching, Johnson said he has faith in two players who were injured last year, Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner, in returning to full strength and upgrading their pass rush.

"We're certainly going to coach better than we did a year ago," Johnson said. "And like I said before, it starts there. We've made a concerted effort in how we're going to get that done. We are excited about the guys that ended up finishing the season on IR, the trajectory that they were on, both Dayo (Odeyingbo) and Shemar (Turner). When you look at it from the start of the season to the point where they both got injured, we saw growth and we saw them trending in the right direction, in terms of what we want to see on game day. fish-roadgame.online

"I think (Montez) Sweat had one of his better years in the NFL. Whether that shows up in the sack total or not, he's a very complete player, both in the run game and pass game. I think you saw tremendous growth from (DL Austin) Booker when we were finally able to get him back, as well. The combination of us being able to coach better and those guys taking the next step as part of this system, I think we have some pretty good pieces to work with."

Last offseason, the Bears signed Odeyingbo to a three-year, $48 million contract, with $32 million guaranteed, but he suffered a torn Achilles injury in early November, cutting his first season in Chicago short. Odeyingbo only had one sack in the eight games that he played, so he'll have to show this coaching staff that he is not only fully healthy, but can get back to the player they signed to the big deal as well.

Turner is a hybrid type of defensive lineman that the team drafted in the second-round of last year's draft, but he was hampered by injuries all season from an ankle injury in training camp to a torn ACL in Week 8. The Bears need to find out just who and what they have in the former second round pick.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson sounds off on no edge rushers in NFL draft

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has said his team were ‘a bit too nervous’ in their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea.

Farke’s side missed out on a first FA Cup final appearance in 53 years after losing 1-0 to Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday. Enzo Fernandez scored a first-half winner for the Blues, heading home from Pedro Neto’s cross.

Leeds had chances to score, with Robert Sanchez making several saves for Chelsea, including an early one-against-one to deny Brenden Aaronson. However, The Whites were unable to find a breakthrough and Farke believes the occasion got to his side.

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, he said: “It was a tight game. They were able to find the back of the net. I think we nearly dominated at least one statistic more shots on target, more expected goals, more big chances missed. But it’s also fair to say that the football in the first half we didn’t have our best days.

“You could feel the boys were a bit too nervous today to be at their free-flowing best and for that we had a few unnecessary loss of the balls and assisted more or less to their two or three chances in the first half.

“We were not played out of the park even though it wasn’t our best game in the first half. Credit to my players. We went for it and pressed higher and dominated more. Of course, you always have to be switched on for counter attacks. But the goalkeeper was able to get two great saves. And the defensive flow of Chelsea was there, it was top defensive behavior.

“They always had an answer to all our questions that we asked. It’s hard to take anyhow, but nevertheless, I’m proud of the cup run.”

Read – Sanchez says Chelsea winner ‘straight from training ground’

See more – Chelsea retain FA Cup hoodoo over old rivals Leeds

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Linebacker has typically been a spot Dan Lanning reserves for high school recruits. Not often do the Oregon Ducks dive into the transfer portal to fill their needs in the middle of the defense. Rather, the coaching staff is willing to travel across the country to get a young guy who can develop, learn the system, and lead the defense.

That's exactly what the Ducks did on Sunday, landing a commitment from four-star linebacker Brandon Lockley Jr. out of Philadelphia. Lockley chose the Ducks over Alabama, Penn State, LSU, Duke, Nebraska and others.

Lockley is the No. 234 recruit and the No. 21 linebacker in the country, per Rivals, and didn't need long to choose the Ducks as his new home. Although it's a long way from home, Lockley felt it was the right place to be when he first visited at the beginning of the month.

BREAKING: Four-Star LB Brandon Lockley Jr. has Committed to Oregon, he tells me for @Rivals⁰
The 6’1 230 LB chose the Ducks over Alabama, LSU, Nebraska, and Duke
⁰“Oregon felt like home from day one. It’s where I belong!! #ScoDucks🦆”⁰⁰https://t.co/4Iddhfm6Whpic.twitter.com/PU0isG34NE

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 26, 2026

"The message has been just knowing it’s a long way from home, but they want me bad,” Lockley told Rivals after his visit. “They love my ceiling. They love my versatility. They can see me playing either linebacker spot that they have, and they said I’m a great player and I’m a player that they can see fit in their school and their system.”

Lockley already had a string of official visits lined up for this summer, including one to Oregon on June 19, but the timing was right for the St. Joseph's Prep star to lock in with the Ducks.

The Ducks have been scorching hot on the recruiting trail lately, most recently securing commitments from five-star quarterback Will Mencl and four-star safety Semaj Stanford. Lockley joins Oregon's 2027 class as their 11th commitment and second linebacker, alongside three-star Sam Ngata. The Ducks currently have the No. 6 class in the nation, per Rivals, but after a successful spring game, they could be in line for even more additions soon.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon earns blue-chip linebacker commitment following spring game

The St. Louis Cardinals will try to salvage a game in the short homestand series versus the Mariners on Sunday as Michael McGreevy gets the start for St. Louis while Emerson Hancock will pitch for Seattle. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm Sunday at Busch Stadium.

While yesterday’s extra-inning loss was certainly disappointing, it left little doubt in my mind that this is indeed a different Sox team than the moribund group we’ve become accustomed to over the last few years. Noah Schultz dominated, and while the power surges of Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami have slowed down a bit, other mid-level hitters like Miguel Vargas and Chase Meidroth were there to pick up the slack. The White Sox now have hitters that as a fan you actually want at the plate in a big situation. Despite an early deficit, they mounted a comeback and fought until the end. Not super-used to that one!

Call it “Ricky’s Boys Don’t Quit: Will’s Version,” and they still have a chance to make it three series wins in a row if they can pull out this rubber match against Washington. Sean Burke will go to the mound as the Sox primary pitcher today, with Bryan Hudson — who has been an excellent and unheralded addition to a bullpen that’s been starved for good lefty options — serving as the opener against Washington’s lefty-heavy lineup, which looks like this today:

Righthander Foster Griffin has made a strong return Stateside after a three-year hiatus in Japan, where he ran a 2.57 ERA over three seasons in the dead-ball NPB. He’s won three of his first five starts with Washington without taking a loss, working to a 3.38 ERA over 26 2/3 innings. Here’s the lineup that Will Venable counters with:

Even by the standards of the post-2021 White Sox, that’s a getaway day lineup if I’ve ever seen one. Perhaps they spent too much time out on the town with C.J. Abrams last night. Either way, first pitch is scheduled for at 1:15 p.m. CT, live from Rate Field in Armour Square. If you want to join us, broadcasts are available on CHSN (TV) and WMVP AM 1000 (radio) like always!