Daniel Hardy holds the LDE · Backup spot in Chicago Bears’s edge room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Daniel Hardy played 19 games in 2025 with a 4% snap share.

Daniel Hardy is a 6'2", 255-pound left defensive end entering his fourth season with the Chicago Bears. The Montana State product was selected 235th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He appeared in six games as a rookie with the Rams in 2022 before being released in August 2023. Hardy joined the Bears practice squad that same month and has since become a fixture on their special teams unit. In 2025, he appeared in all 17 regular season games with one start, recording three defensive tackles and 19 special teams tackles while playing in over 75% of special teams snaps. He has played in 40 career regular season games across his time with both franchises.

Montana Statethrough 2021

Rams2022

Bears2023 — present

CollegeMontana StateDraftRound 7 · No. 235 overall · 2022 · LARAcquiredAcquired from Los Angeles Rams · drafted thereHometownBeaverton, OR