The first week of NFL free agency is coming to a close, and the Chicago Bears have been busy both welcoming and saying goodbye to various players. They made a pair of signings earlier in the week to bolster their defensive depth, signing defensive back Cam Lewis to a two-year deal and defensive lineman Kentavius Street to a one-year deal.
Both players have experience playing multiple positions, which likely enticed general manager Ryan Poles. Lewis spent the last six seasons with the Buffalo Bills as a Swiss Army knife on defense. Lewis played safety, both outside and nickel cornerback, and even linebacker during his time with the Bills. In 2025, Lewis made 43 tackles (one for a loss), had two forced fumbles, and four pass breakups.
Street, meanwhile, most recently played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2025 but has experience with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen from their days with the New Orleans Saints. Last year, Street played in seven games and totaled 21 tackles (three for loss) and two sacks.
Here are our initial grades for the signings.
DB Cam Lewis
- Signing details: two years, $6 million ($2.75 million guaranteed)
- Initial grade: B+
The Bears’ secondary is going to look very different in 2026, and it should be more versatile than ever. That’s what the team is getting with someone like Lewis, who can play many different positions and be a useful piece for Dennis Allen’s defense. Lewis has experience starting, but chances are he will be rotating off the bench to spell players like Kyler Gordon and Coby Bryant.
Lewis can do a lot of what Allen likes with his defensive backs. He can blitz (29 times in the past two seasons), and his pass coverage improved from 2024 to 2025. His opposing passer rating dropped from 102.7 to 82.5, and he allowed a 58.5% completion percentage. For comparison, CJ Gardner-Johnson’s opposing passer rating was 89.3, and he allowed a completion percentage of 66.7%.
For just a couple million guaranteed, Lewis should be a dependable role player and nice insurance in case someone like Gordon goes down again. If he’s starting when Week 1 rolls around, that could change how this signing is viewed. For now, it’s a solid grade for quality depth.
DL Kentavius Street
- Signing details: TBD
- Initial grade: C-
The contract details for Street have yet to be revealed as of this writing, but assuming that he’s making just a couple million, this is still a signing that doesn’t do much. The Bears already signed Neville Gallimore to a two-year deal when free agency opened, and they went and signed someone who does the same thing.
Street is not good against the pass and is even worse against the run. His best year did come while playing under Allen during his 2022 season with the New Orleans Saints, but this just feels like the Bears added another veteran who does the same things as Gallimore and Jarrett.
The Bears needed depth up front, and Street has played at both edge and interior tackle on the defensive line. However, it seems the team could have found more of a run-stuffing specialist at a low cost to replace Andrew Billings. Maybe they still will, as there are plenty of free agents left on the market, but this move doesn’t move the needle even when it comes to depth.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Grading the Bears signing DB Cam Lewis, DL Kentavius Street
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