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Bears general manager Ryan Poles.

A former Chicago Bears pass rusher has abruptly retired from the NFL at age 27 following his new team’s mandatory veteran minicamp earlier this month.

The Philadelphia Eagles officially placed pass rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka — whom the Bears acquired in a midseason trade in 2025 — on the reserve/retired list on Tuesday, June 17, closing the book on the former first-round pick’s career after just five seasons.

The Bears traded a 2026 sixth-round selection to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Tryon-Shoyinka and a 2026 seventh-round pick at the NFL trade deadline last season, hoping that he would provide quality depth for their wounded pass rusher. They had just lost veteran Dayo Odeyingbo and rookie Shemar Turner to season-ending injuries.

In eight games for the Bears, though, Tryon-Shoyinka recorded just 13 total tackles with one tackle for a loss over 111 defensive snaps. He also entered the league’s concussion protocol late in the season, keeping him out of Week 18’s finale and both playoff games.

Tryon-Shoyinka did not receive a new contract offer from the Bears after the season and became an unrestricted free agent when the new league year began on March 12. Weeks later, he signed a one-year deal with the Eagles, who carried him on their 90-man roster through their OTA practices and mandatory minicamp before his retirement decision.

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka Never Unlocked Day 1 Potential

Tryon-Shoyinka was little more than a depth piece when the Bears made their trade for him at the 2026 deadline, but there was a point earlier in his career where expectations were high about what the 6-foot-5, 259-pound pass rusher could achieve in the NFL.

Tryon-Shoyinka got his start in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were fresh off their Super Bowl LV victory with Tom Brady and took him with the last selection in the first round of the NFL draft. The hope had been that he would help supplement the Buccaneers’ outside linebacker room alongside Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.

Despite impressive physical traits, though, the former Washington Huskies edge rusher never managed to achieve consistent pass-rushing production with the Buccaneers. He had trouble finishing sacks when he got his hands on quarterbacks, resulting in him having 35 quarterback hits but only 15 sacks over the first 66 games of his NFL career.

By the time Tryon-Shoyinka’s rookie contract expired, the Bucs were ready to move on.

Tryon-Shoyinka tried to start fresh with the Browns in 2025, but he fell behind their other pass rushers in training camp and opened the season as a depth piece behind Myles Garrett, Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire. He played just 31 defensive snaps over the Browns’ first eight games before they traded him to the Bears in early November.

Bears Reloading With Same Pass Rushers for 2026

The Bears opted against bringing back Tryon-Shoyinka for obvious reasons. But for the most part, Chicago is preparing to run things back with the same pass rushers in 2026.

Despite expectations that they would prioritize adding edge-rushing reinforcements during the 2026 offseason, the Bears did not make any meaningful outside additions at the defensive end position in either free agency or the draft. The only pre-draft move that they made was to re-sign backup/special teams ace Daniel Hardy through 2027.

The Bears also did not add any edge rushers in their post-draft haul of UDFA signings.

While there is still time (and a little money) left for the Bears to make another addition from the trade market or the scraps of free agency, the front office and coaching staff have expressed optimism about what the unit can achieve when fully healthy in 2026.

On paper, it is not the worst bet in the world. Montez Sweat tallied double-digit sacks for the second time in his career last season and should benefit from a full season of familiarity with the system under his belt. Meanwhile, Austin Booker looked to be on the cusp of a breakout toward the end of his second season and is still only 23 years old.

The others are the real question marks, though. Odeyingbo had just one sack and 10 pressures as the starter opposite Sweat in his first eight games before his injury, casting doubt on whether he will find a proper groove in Dennis Allen’s system. Turner was also too injured to show much of what he could do during his rookie season with the Bears.

Only time will tell if the Bears are making the correct call with their pass rushers.