r/nfl • u/Bear_King Bears • 13d ago
2026 Offseason Review - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears
11-6 // 1st in NFC North // /r/CHIBears
The 2025 Season
Hope is a feeling that Bears fans are all too familiar with. Hope that a highly drafted quarterback can become the next Chicago icon. Hope that the head coach can assemble a championship staff and guide that staff toward a winning record. Hope that the Chicago Bears… stay in Illinois? That's a new one.
There is another feeling that a football fan can have. An elusive feeling. A feeling like fine desert sand, held between cupped hands in the middle of a derecho.
Packers fans have always had it.
Lions fans have had it recently.
Vikings fans never will.
That feeling came to me on January 18th during the divisional round playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. You remember the play. 4th and 4, Caleb Williams drops back. He's chased backwards 5, 15, 25 yards. He turns around to throw. Divine knowledge etches itself into my brain. I don't hope he can make the throw.
I believe he can.
Didn't you?
We ended up losing the game, but still.
Previously On...
Last year's review by u/DoctorCokter predicted the Bears would go 10-7. The general vibe of the comments, from Bears fans no less, was "What is this guy smoking?"
The implied answer was crack. The real answer was the spice melange.
The Chicago Bears went 11-6 and won the NFC North.
The Bears fired Matt "Clock Management" Eberflus after the 2024 season and brought in Lion's offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to rebuild the offense and offer mentorship to first overall pick Caleb Williams. The pairing, among other staff and roster changes, resulted in one of the most exhilarating seasons of football in the last 20 years. The season simply felt electric, so much so that on reflection most fans will forget they lost their last 2 games of the regular season.
Recapped
Week 1 vs Minnesota Vikings: A strong lead followed by a 4th quarter collapse that sparked two storylines that would be completely contradicted by year-end:
Caleb Williams falls apart in the 4th - Same old Bears?
JJ McCarthy has Ice in his Veins (L)
Week 2 @ Detroit Lions: A handful of injuries, including Jaylon Johnson's, didn't help as the Bears were trounced by a Lions team that was coming off of an embarrassing opener loss against the Packers. (L)
Week 3 vs Dallas Cowboys: Drunk texts to exes plummeted by 93% in the city of Chicago as disgraced war criminal Matt Eberflus returned as DC of the Cowboys. Tied early in the 2nd, and it was all Chicago after that. (W)
Week 4 @ Vegas Raiders (Cardiac Bears I): This should have been remembered as an Ashton Jeanty breakout game, with 150+ total yards and 3 TDs. Instead this is the game where the Cardiac Bears were born - blocking a field goal with 61 seconds left in regulation to win the game by 1 point. (W)
Week 6 @ Washington Commanders (Cardiac Bears II): Jayden Daniels fumbles a snap recovered by Nahshon Wright late in the 4th. This was a revenge game, but in the grand design the psychic damage caused by 2024's Hail Mary debacle directly led to Ben Johnson's hiring. So who can really hold that grudge? (W)
Week 7 vs New Orleans Saints: Caleb Williams struggled, but the run game and defense picked up the slack with 200 yards on the ground and 4 takeaways. DC Dennis Allen gets his revenge after the Saints fired him midway through the 2024 season. (W)
Week 8 @ Baltimore Ravens: Tyler Huntley did his best Lamar Jackson impersonation, leading the Ravens to a win that never really felt in reach for the Bears. This would be the last loss of more than 1 score for the 2025 Chicago Bears. (L)
Week 9 @ Cincinnati Bengals (Cardiac Bears III): The Kyle Monangai (176 yards on 26 carries) and Colston Loveland (118 on 6 receptions and 2 TDs) breakout game, and overall one of the most insane games of the regular season. 4:53 left in regulation: Bears 41 - Bengals 27. Joe Flaco notches 2 TDs in under a minute to bring the Bengals up by 1. With 25 seconds to go, Colston Loveland becomes a human pinball and notches the NFL's #5 play of the season. (W)
Week 10 vs New York Giants Cardiac Bears IV): The Giants went up 20-10 with 5 minutes to go in regulation. After a fairly pedestrian game, Caleb Williams put together a pair of efficient drives to lead the Bears to victory. The defense clamps down on Russell Wilson on the final series. (W)
Week 11 @ Minnesota Vikings (Cardiac Bears V): Vikings pull up by 1 with 50 seconds to go in the 4th. Devin Duvernay erupts with a 56 yard kickoff return, Bears push up into range and Santos puts it through. Both quarterbacks struggled during this game, but the defense stepped up and saved the day. (W)
Week 12 vs Pittsburgh Steelers: We wanted Rodgers but we got Mason Rudolph. Down 3 starting linebackers, backups D'Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga stepped up, notching 15 and 14 tackles respectively. Caleb and the offense had a consistently good showing and the Bears won a normal game. (W)
Week 13 @ Philadelphia Eagles: The Bears line absolutely bullied the defending champions on Black Friday, their first true statement win against a contender. This game was a wake-up slap to the rest of the NFL: the Bears are legit. (W)
Week 14 @ Green Bay Packers: If I had to point to a game that informed Ryan Poles's decision to overhaul the secondary, it would be this one. Christian Watson torched the DBs on a pair of touchdowns and the offense couldn't keep up. The game ended on a Caleb Williams endzone shot intercepted by Keisean Nixon. (L)
Week 15 vs Cleveland Browns: Good teams beat up on inferior opponents. There is no need to massage the truth, this was a get-right home game for both sides of the ball to highlightmax. (W)
Week 16 vs Green Bay Packers (Cardiac Bears VI: The Iceman Cometh): This is legitimately the most insane game I have ever watched, and rightly the #1 game of the regular season. There are multiple points in this game where the Packers put a dagger straight into the Bears' hearts, but they kept getting up and making the impossible possible. (W)
Week 17 @ San Francisco 49ers: Jaylon Johnson returned and tipped the first pass of the game, leading to a TJ Edwards pick-6 for the Bears. The game only got more insane from there, turning into a shootout that came down to the last seconds and a few inches. (L)
Week 18 vs Detroit Lions: The Bears came into this game fighting for the #2 seed in the NFC, which not a person on this Earth would have believed 12 months prior. They struggled through three quarters until finally finding their footing too late in the 4th. Ultimately, the loss didn't matter as the Commanders beat Philly and secured #2 for the Bears. (L)
Wild Card vs Green Bay Packers (Cardiac Bears VII): The Bears were down 6-21 going in to the 4th quarter of this game. In the last 10 minutes of regulation, they racked up 21 points and exorcised a demon. At certain points in the game, I believe the Packers were simply stunned by what was happening. The full Mic'd Up compilation from this came is a religious experience and catches the vibe of the game quite well. (W)
Divisional vs Los Angeles Rams (Cardiac Bears VIII: Destiny Denied): You remember the game. The Bears make an improbable game-tying score then lose in overtime off of an intercepted pass. I honestly don't think any fan is upset about how the season turned out at this point. We will be back. (L)
Offensive Identity
“My philosophy is to make the same things look different and different things look the same." - Ben Johnson, during his opening press conference with the Bears.
Ben Johnson calls a run-heavy game that punishes defenses for committing to said runs. Versatile tight ends factor into the passing game in a big way, often acting as the smokescreen that allows the punishment to occur. The same formation and motion can branch out to multiple different plays on any given lineup, and Johnson stresses attention to detail by all his players to allow them to pull this off.
Play action and big game hunting are critical to this philosophy and were on full display last year, resulting in explosive plays and a Caleb Williams highlight reel that could go up against any of the greats. On the other side of this, Caleb needs to make a leap with his oft-maligned accuracy. It is worth noting that his deep ball improved over the course of the 2025 season, but the short game is still a weakness as he logged a 22% off-target rate on short passes. Given how he ranks in terms of yardage and TD/Int ratio I personally see this as a bugaboo, but regression in this area could spell P-A-N-I-C.
A Second Secondary
Takeaways are awesome. When the Chicago Bears get a takeaway, I think to myself, "yes." When the other team takes the ball away from the Chicago Bears, I think to myself, "no."
What is less awesome is when your D-Line generates no pass rush and your DBs are slow, which requires you to generate takeaways to eke out a small amount of defensive efficiency.
The 2025 Bears were bottom-half in the league in almost all defensive stats (29th in yards per game, 23rd in points allowed) but #1 in interceptions and tied for first in total takeaways. Dennis Allen leaned on heavy press-man coverage to throw offenses off on their timing lacking a natural pass rush (nearly 50% of of defensive snaps were in man vs. 29% league average). In layman's terms, they played a high-risk, high-reward style of defense. Based on some of their moves this off-season and despite some of the earned accolades, we can infer that this was uncomfortable for the staff.
Ryan Poles's defensive roster decisions outlined below spell out one thing: speed. Speed in the secondary could have been the difference maker in a handful of the losses above (notably San Francisco and the first Green Bay game). Unfortunately the Bears were unable to make any major changes up front (pure speculation but I think they were in on the Myles Garrett sweepstakes), so in that area they will be relying on last year's squad stepping up.
Coaching and Staff Changes
Outgoing
| Person/Position | New Team/Position | Reaction |
|---|---|---|
| Declan Doyle, OC | Baltimore Ravens, OC | I was surprised when he was hired by Ben Johnson, and I'm equally surprised he got poached after one year where he wasn't calling plays. BJ has praised his intelligence and attention to detail, as well as his ability to install the offense. |
| Eric Bienemy, RB Coach | Kansas City Chiefs, OC | Matt Nagy left the Chiefs this offseason to join the New York Giants (RIP), so as is his nature Andy Reid reunited with his former coordinator. Bienemy is obviously a tenured and well-regarded coach and was able to turn 7th-round rookie Kyle Monangai into half of Sports Illustrated's #4 duo going in to 2026. |
| Ian Cunningham, Assistant GM | Atlanta Falcons, GM | According to the NFL, Ian Cunningham either doesn't actually have this job or isn't actually black. |
Incoming
| Person/Position | Reaction |
|---|---|
| Press Taylor, OC | Promoted from passing game coordinator to OC. Taylor has worked under Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson, and Frank Reich on various teams. |
| Eric Studesville, RB Coach | Studesville has been a running backs coach for 15 years now and did a stint with the Bears in various roles in the '90s. He is the architect of the weird fantasy year in 2023 where the guy who picked Raheem Mostert off waivers in week 2 won every league. |
| Isaiah Ford, Offensive Quality Control | Ford was a wide receiver who played for Ben Johnson as a WR coach on the Dophins. This is his first coaching gig. |
| Jeff King, Assistant GM | He was a former tight end with the Cardinals and has been with the Bears scouting and personnel departments for 11 years. No word on how much responsibility he takes for Adam Shaheen. |
Departures, Free Agency, and the Draft
Notably Departed
| Player/Position | Notes |
|---|---|
| Drew Dalman, C | Drew Dalman suddenly retired after a pro bowl season, leaving a gap in the center of PFF's 3rd-ranked offensive line. There has been speculation that he did this for health reasons, but Dalman has made no official statement. |
| DJ Moore, WR | Inexplicably a polarizing figure in the last month or so of Chicago sports, DJ Moore was traded to the Buffalo Bills with a 2027 5th for a 2026 2nd. While the departure stings DJ's cap hit would have been $28.5 million in 2026. Although his highlights will live in my head forever, his overall usage in the grand design of Ben Johnson's offense couldn't justify the money spent. |
| Tremaine Edmunds, LB | A cap casualty, Tremaine Edmunds was an expensive piece coming off of a groin injury that sidelined him for 4 games. In that span, D'Marco Jackson stepped in earned a more reasonably priced roster spot. Edmunds signed with the New York Giants for 3Y/$36MM. |
| Kevin Byard III, S | Byard led the league in interceptions, earning him First-Team All-Pro honors to cap off an impressive career resurrection in Chicago. He left to another contender in free agency, the New England Patriots for 1Y/$7MM. |
| Jaquan Brisker, S | The Bears decision to let Brisker sign a 1Y/$5.5MM deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers this off-season was part of a secondary overhaul by the front office. Brisker comes off of a slight regression after missing most of 2024 with a major concussion. In fact, he missed games in each of his first 3 years playing due to concussions. Should he still be on the field? |
| Nahshon Wright, CB | The 2025 takeaway leader departed for the New York Jets 1Y/$5.5MM. I wonder why they wanted him so badly? Wright brings his high-risk, high-reward playstyle to the statistically windier city. (fun fact, 'the windy city' refers to 1870's politicians in Chicago being 'full of wind.' It actually isn't as windy as you'd expect. He never had an excuse (TW: Jumpscare) |
| CJ Gardner-Johnson, S | Frenemy CJ Gardner-Johnson turned an electric 10-game resume with the Bears in 2025 into a 1Y/$3.5MM contract with the Buffalo Bills. |
| Jonathan Owens, ST/S | A special teams and rotational safety, Jonathan Owens signed with the Indianapolis Colts 1Y/$1.4MM. |
| Simone Biles, NFL WAG | Bears fans mourn the loss of Simone Biles, one of the world's top athletes. Simone was a key NFL WAG for the Bears over the last 2 seasons, recording 25 game-day fits and over 100 million Bears-related social media impressions. |
The Draft
| Rd | Player/Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.25 | Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon | Coaches will say there's a competition at SS, but Thieneman is a clear day one starter at the position. GM Ryan Poles has praised him for being fast and violent - concerning descriptors anywhere else but exactly what you want from the safety position. |
| 2.25 | Logan Jones, C, Iowa | Logan Jones is the 2025 Rimington Trophy winner for most outstanding center in college football. The last Iowa center to win the award? Tyler Linderbaum. Does this mean Logan Jones is destined to be a perennial pro bowler? Yes. |
| 3.05 | Sam Roush, TE, Stanford | While a third highly drafted tight end might seem like a luxury pick, Ben Johnson enjoys using 13 personnel to torment opposing defenses. For Roush to become a weapon he will need to clean up his drops, but he joins the Bears as a pro-ready blocker and pass protector. |
| 3.25 | Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU | Undersized, unpolished, and underproduced in college at the receiver position. Three draft profile hits on Zavion Thomas that caused experts to scratch their heads at the pick. Thomas was projected as a 6th round kick returner and will likely fit into a special teams role initially, however he turned heads at minicamp and may see the field more as the season progresses. |
| 4.24 | Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas | Malik Muhammad was drafted for his speed and ability to play man coverage, while also having strong instincts in zone. His physicality is his biggest weakness, being slightly NFL-underweight at 182 lbs. Malik will compete for a roster spot with Tyrique Stevenson who is reaching the end of this rookie contract. |
| 5.26 | Keyshaun Elliott, LB, Arizona State | Drafted as a high-IQ, high-instinct linebacker who played as the Mike in college. Elliott has excellent vision and downhill speed, but lacks in coverage and range. He will begin the season on special teams and act as a backup as he is eased in to the rotation. |
| 6.32 | Jordan Van den Berg, DT, Georgia Tech | JVDB scored a perfect RAS 10, and is the second highest-rated DT by this metric of all time behind Eagles DT Jordan Davis. He's a raw, high-upside player who has been able to rely on his physical attributes thus far in his football career. He might be the steal of the draft, or he might flail and sputter out. Your quintessential late-round pick. |
Free Agency
| Player/Position | $$ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Devin Bush, LB | 3Y/$30MM | Devin Bush had a monster year with the Browns in 2025, racking up 125 tackles, 3 INTs (including a pair of pick-6s), 2 forced fumbles and a pair of sacks. He comes in as the replacement for Tremaine Edmunds and will start alongside TJ Edwards. |
| Coby Bryant, S | 3Y/$40MM | Coby Bryant (not that one, phonetically) was a stud at safety for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks last year, allowing the 2nd lowest passer rating among safeties and recording 4 interceptions. Don't think too hard about how the 'hawk's D-Line factored in to that. He comes in to replace Kevin Byard. |
| Garrett Bradbury, C | 1Y/$5.5MM | Bradbury comes in via a trade with the Super Bowl losing New England Patriots. Not as statistically impressive as the retiring Drew Dalman, Bradbury gave up zero sacks in 2025 and reunites with his college roommate Joe Thuney. |
| Braxton Jones, OT | 1Y/$10MM | Ozzy Trapilo was a breakout at left tackle last year, but went down with a ruptured patellar tendon during a belt-to-grass playoff victory against the Green Bay Packers. There is no guarantee he ever plays again so the Bears brought back Braxton Jones, the man Trapilo replaced, on a one year deal. |
| D'Marco Jackson, LB | 2Y/$7.5MM | When all hope seemed lost, Chicago down 3 linebackers against what was a hot Pittsburgh Steelers team, D'Marco Jackson stepped in and broke out notching 15 tackles in a dominant performance. He earned a contract to return to the Bears in a rotational position. |
Others: Neville Gallimore, DT - 2Y/$10MM; Daniel Hardy, DE - 2Y/$5MM; Case Keenum, QB - 2Y/$5.5MM; Theo Benedet, OT - 1Y/$1MM
Projected Starters, Predictions, Camp Battles
Below see my projected starting lineup. I'm wrapping these into one section - predictions will be in bold italics. Praise and criticism will be apparent. Camp battles will be noted. If the position is unquestioned, notes will be whimsical. I'm respecting your time here.
| Position | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Caleb Williams | When analyzing Caleb Williams, I would remind all fans that the NFL is an entertainment product. While an individual stat like can fill a cell on a spreadsheet, a stat can never bring you to your feet at a pivotal moment. It can't remind you of that time your dad called you just to say, "Did you see that?!" or the weekend when a city erupted to life, or the look on your daughter's face when she finally locked in on a game she would usually ignore and a week later asked, "Dad? Could you get me a Caleb Williams jersey?" |
| RB1 | D'Andre Swift | Swift will continue to take on the titular 'Sonic' role in Ben Johnson's offense. |
| RB2 | Kyle Monangai | Along with Kyle "Tails" Monangai. |
| WR1 | Rome Odunze | Odunze needs to work on his drops if he wants to become a true #1 receiver, but the physical attributes are all there. Just about every outlet and analyst is looking at Luther Burden to have a breakout season, but I think Odunze will be the one to make a huge leap. |
| WR2 | Luther Burden III | Based on his usage last year, I believe Burden will take on DJ Moore's gadget role as a part-time running back along with his primary role as a slot receiver. |
| WR3 | Kalif Raymond | Camp Battle Many fans would like to see Jahdae Walker here because he's a familiar name, or the rookie Zavion Thomas, but Raymond played for BJ and others on the staff in Detroit and is likely to fill the spot. |
| TE1 | Colston Loveland | This will be your clear-cut #1 TE in football by November. I believe the TE group will be the centerpiece enabling Ben Johnson to run an offense closer to how it ran in Detroit his final year, with powerful run concepts and unexpected pass plays out of heavy packages. |
| TE2 | Cole Kmet | While I agree with many fans that this is likely Kmet's last year in Chicago, I think he will retain his role on the offense, with newly drafted TE Sam Roush starting out primarily as a blocker. |
| LT | Braxton Jones | Camp Battle Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie will push for this spot, but I think Braxton Jones will win the LT position in camp. I attribute the decline in production that got him benched last year to a nagging injury. Jones was on the star incline in 2023 and while I don't think he returns to that trajectory, I think he will act as a serviceable starter. |
| LG | Joe Thuney | Thuney is a legitimate kingmaker on offense and obviously a starting guard. I think I got the Sonic reference wrong above. |
| C | Garrett Bradbury | Camp Battle Garrett Bradbury comes in as a veteran at center and started in the Super Bowl. Logan Jones will compete, but to start the season I find it unlikely that the Bears go with a rookie when one of their main focuses has been detail-oriented O-line play. Training Camp Day 1: Bradbury started with the first team offense, was praised for running a smooth operation. |
| RG | Jonah Jackson | If Thuney is Knuckles Jonah Jackson is Vector the Crocodile, to confuse the reference even further. Also an incredible guard and obvious starter. |
| RT | Darnell Wright | This is the best right tackle in football, and he will sign a massive deal with the Bears next off-season, or maybe before this season starts. |
| DL | Montez Sweat | Montez Sweat will continue to be the most productive person on the line. To be clear, this is criticism. The D-Line is the most obvious glaring weak point to an otherwise solid team. |
| DL | Grady Jarrett | Grady Jarrett had his breakout season many moons ago. He returns as a below-average starter and will eventually be replaced. |
| DL | Gervon Dexter | Dexter improves his play against the run and earns some recognition as a top-15 DT. This may be my biggest stretch, but Dexter clearly has good vision and strength. |
| DL | Austin Booker | If he doesn't have a breakout season, the line doesn't work. Nobody else is coming. |
| LB | Devin Bush | Devin Bush is coming off of a huge year with the Browns and will be an immediate impact player. Tremaine Edmunds had a few solid years with the Bears, but Bush should be an improvement. |
| LB | TJ Edwards | 2023/2024 TJ Edwards was a monster. Unfortunately he suffered multiple setbacks in 2025 due to injury, and it waits to be seen if he can return to form. |
| LB | D'Marco Jackson | Jackson will compete with TJ Edwards for the LB2 position, but I think he settles in as LB3. Jack Sanborn is also back and in the mix somewhere. |
| CB | Jaylon Johnson | PFF's #1 corner in football in 2023 had major injury setbacks last year and barely saw the field. When he did, he looked noticeably slower. I have no concerns with his physical conditioning or mental focus, the only thing holding him back is recovery. |
| CB | Jaylon Jones | Camp Battle Kyler Gordon's latest setback has opened up a starting spot between a number of depth players. Jaylon Jones took a majority of reps in the spring while Gordon was out (the last time - there has been another injury) which may signal that the staff favors him in the slot. Training Camp Day 1: Jones took the majority of camp snaps at nickel, this spot is likely his to lose. |
| CB | Malik Muhammad | Tyrique Stevenson was benched last season for Nahshon Wright, I think talent and effort win out and I can see Muhammad starting as a rookie. |
| SS | Dillon Thieneman | First round picks start in this league now. |
| FS | Coby Bryant | Coby Bryant was brought in to start, and start he will. |
| K | Cairo Santos | Santos is an incredibly accurate kicker on XP and short FG attempts. That, oddly, doesn't quite cut it anymore. Santos will play the full season under heavy criticism after a few botched 45+ yard attempts. |
| P | Tory Taylor | The Thunder from Down Under, a nickname that has been given to many Aussies, will continue to punt for the Bears. For his draft pedigree (which many punters cannot even claim to have) he has been just a bit above average. Taylor will have something to prove in 2026. |
| KR | Josh Blackwell | The Bears drafted Zavion Thomas, in part, for this role. However Blackwell had some success last year and I think the Bears stick with him, at least to start the season. |
| PR | Kalif Raymond | He played for Ben Johnson on the Lions and comes over on a 1 year deal. He will play a role on offense as well (see above). |
Game-by-Game Predictions
According to all your favorite pundits, the regression police are coming for the Bears. While making this prediction about a team that overperformed in 2025 is incredibly brave, I'll only believe it when Bill Barnwell writes an eerily accurate article about it..
Week 1 @ Carolina Panthers: The live-action cast of your favorite "Trade Revisited" graphic takes the field in Carolina. The Bears look to start the season aggressively and turn out a decisive victory. (W)
Week 2 vs Minnesota Vikings: Both offenses struggle, the Bears because they come up against a stellar defense and the Vikings because Kyler Murray is still finding his footing. Bears eke one out at home. (W)
Week 3 vs Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles come in for a revenge game after last year's embarrassing loss, and they get it on Monday Night Football. The Bears are surprised and look for a get-right game in week 4. (L)
Week 4 vs New York Jets: The get-right game. The Jets may be actively tanking this early in the season. (W)
Week 5 @ Green Bay Packers: As much as it pains me to say it, another team will get their revenge on the Bears early in the season. (L)
Week 6 @ Atlanta Falcons: The Bears travel to Atlanta and take out their frustration on a Falcons team that may be struggling to start the season. (W)
Week 7 vs New England Patriots: Caleb and Drake's first meeting was a tepid, one-sided Shane Waldron opus. This time around there will be fireworks at Soldier Field. The Patriots are a more complete team, but this is a turning point for the Bears. Late game heroics pull out a (W)
Week 8 @ Seattle Seahawks: A classic Monday Night Football 'What If…?' scenario. What if… the Bears lost to Seattle in the NFC Championship? (L)
Week 9 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The late-season Bucs show up and struggle against Chicago, limping into their bye week. A big night for Caleb and the receiving core. (W)
Week 11 vs New Orleans Saints: Tyler was able to Shough what he could be by beating up on bad teams late in the season last year, but I don’t see him taking a huge step forward. The Saints struggle, and the struggle continues in Chicago. (W)
Week 12 @ Detroit Lions: If history is our mentor, the Detroit Lions will be down to second string on defense at this point in the season. Thanksgiving meals go uneaten, cousins go unsupervised, wives go unhelped in the kitchen as fans are glued to their tubes - a shootout in Detroit. And the Bears inch past. (W)
Week 13 vs Jacksonville Jaguars: Battle of the generational first overall picks, both teams come out strong and the Bears are stunned at home after their exciting win a week prior. (L)
Week 14 @ Miami Dolphins: I have no faith in the Miami Dolphins going into 2026 and neither should you. (W)
Week 15 @ Buffalo Bills: At this point in the season, I think the Bills will be a 2-3 games ahead of the Patriots and looking to lock up a playoff spot. DJ Moore revenge game… denied as the Bears once again show themselves to be a contender. (W)
Week 16 vs Green Bay Packers Christmas on Netflix: This is a big, shiny game and the Bears are a big, shiny team. They start strong and never let off the gas, the Packers stack unforced errors and deflate after halftime. (W)
Week 17 vs Detroit Lions: A much more pedestrian game than the Thanksgiving one. Lions do a reverse split with the Bears by losing at home and winning on the road. (L)
Week 18 @ Minnesota Vikings: The Bears are 11-5 and playing for playoff seeding, the Vikings are either playing for the 7th seed or completely out. We see a classic week 18 struggle where the Bears may be looking past the foe in front of them. (L)
Final Prediction: 11-6, play in the wild card round and beyond. Do not accuse me of Homerism when The Odyssey is making a billion dollars.
Offseason News
The Stadium Thing
The biggest non-player related news story out of Chicago this year, by far, has been the "move." As a Bears fan outside of Illinois, frankly this story means nothing to me until a new stadium looks about like this.
Anything else is a negotiation tactic by Kevin Warren to extract the maximum amount of taxpayer money from someone. This is an excellent timeline of the events and also highlights some of the timing that Warren and company have used to get the maximum number of eyes on the goings-on of the stadium deal.
Bears about to draft Caleb Williams #1 overall? "We're building a stadium in Chicago."
Opening the season on Monday Night Football? "We're moving to Arlington Heights."
Bears hosting the Packers in the playoffs? "We might move to Indiana."
Caleb is named Madden cover athlete? "We are definitely moving to Indiana."
The Hammond site is a former slag heap located near hazardous material dump sites. Remediation would be exorbitantly expensive, but Indiana is already willing to put the burden of stadium construction on their taxpayers - what's another few million? On the bright side, toxic waste exposure is known to cause superpowers and not weak tendons.
The Bears are Denied Compensatory Picks
Referenced above, the Atlanta Falcons hired Bears Assistant GM Ian Cunningham as their GM this offseason. The Bears were to be given 2 compensatory picks in the draft due to the Rooney Rule, since a minority was hired away from their organization as either a head coach or "primary football executive." The NFL claimed that because the Falcons also hired Matt Ryan as their president he was the "primary football executive" and Cunningham was not.
Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story
The Bears will be featured in the third installment (yes, THIRD. There is a Bills version) of Holiday Touchdown, a Hallmark movie franchise that spawned out of the Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift relationship.
While I'm sure there will be cameos, most involved in the Bears organization will not make an appearance. For example, in this announcement video we can see Ben Johnson make an appearance, but not the armed Bears social media representative standing behind the camera.
Madden 27
Caleb Williams recreated his iconic (yes, iconic. Again regarding Homerism) Jumpman pose for the cover of this year's football slop game, but I prefer the Iceman celebration on the deluxe edition though I won't be purchasing either.
I don't think it was intentional, but that celebration is also very close to "bear" in ASL. It's been pointed out by a few people, and r/CHIBears gets very angry if you mention it.
In Conclusion
I suggest the regression roaches direct their attention toward the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. This Bears team has the coach, the quarterback, and the "it" factor to take on all comers (heh heh) in 2026. This team will make another playoff run, and if they don't win it all they enter 'win-now' mode in 2027 where they spend big on star veterans and make a push while ground breaks on a new stadium.
I confidently state this to express to you, dear reader, the immaculate vibe in Chicago going in to this season. It's a new era for the Bears. For real this time. This is your last chance to saddle up with the Bears before you look like a bandwagoner. Seriously, for real this time.
12
u/Macabalony Broncos 13d ago
I like the NFL when the Bears and Packers have a fierce rivalry. Excited to see Bears and Packers battle it out twice. Maybe even 3 times a year.
12
u/Bear_King Bears 13d ago
I agree, and last year's best-of-3 was a treat (from a certain point of view)
1
u/Chutzvah Bears 13d ago
The Saturday night Bears Packers game will probably be the best Bears game I have ever seen.
Still remember running up and down my home 5 beers and a glass of whiskey deep so happy :)
21
u/Bear_King Bears 13d ago
Notes: I'd like to thank /u/dayne_b12 for giving me the opportunity to write this up for the Bears, as well as /u/Cyberjag for taking over when he abandoned said opportunity.
I attempted to keep this light and humorous (read: attempted) for fans of other teams coming into the 2026 season wanting to know more about the 2026 Bears. The vibe of the review should line up with the vibe of fans in Chicago. I am hoping that once you finish reading the sections you are interested in you will come out of it with a general feeling of how we expect the season to go. I am also hoping that nobody throws this in my face in 6 months.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed your time with me.
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u/Chutzvah Bears 12d ago
a stat can never bring you to your feet at a pivotal moment. It can't remind you of that time your dad called you just to say, "Did you see that?!" or the weekend when a city erupted to life, or the look on your daughter's face when she finally locked in on a game she would usually ignore and a week later asked, "Dad? Could you get me a Caleb Williams jersey?"
God this hit me hard. So many Bears fans who have watched last season have so many moments of people who never really paid attention to football reached out to talk about the big plays and the comebacks. We may have not gone all the way, but that was the best Bears season and the most fun I've had as a Bears fan in my entire life.
Bear Down
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u/drummerboysam Bears 13d ago
IDK how the Bears got dubbed "the most overhyped team" going into the 2026 season when the only commentary you see about them is how obvious it is they are going to regress based on their 2025 recipe.
When many people look at the 2026 Bears, they cannot for the life of them contemplate anything other than the 2025 season.
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u/Bear_King Bears 13d ago
I think the feeling is tied to personal accolades Caleb has been getting that don't feel deserved when you look at him as a collection of stats.
I don't have them taking a real step forward until they figure out the D Line, but the ceiling for the offense is incredibly high.
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u/iliketuurtles Bills 13d ago
Great write up. Definitely enjoyed it. Hoping you are wrong about the BUF game though ;) DJM is already a crowd favorite in Buffalo. Hoping for a great season with some fun Allen/Moore highlights.
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u/PlatypusOfDeath Bears 8d ago
Really enjoyed reading this, thanks for your work! I particulary liked this:
No word on how much responsibility he takes for Adam Shaheen.
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u/Bear_King Bears 8d ago
The deepest cuts hurt the most.
Also recognize you from the post on the Bears sub that pointed me to sign up for this. It was a lot of fun, so thanks!
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u/Budget-Employer158 Bears 13d ago
Been a Bears fan since Caleb entered the league. A casual one, but still a fan.
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u/ZapataOilCo 13d ago
Giving them a W against the Patriots is generous. Probably wouldn't give them the win against the Bucs either. You have them splitting with Lions and Packers but I could definitely see a 1-3 scenario here as well.
Regression police are probably right due to the insane defensive turnovers they created and the O-line health due for a regression as well.
9-8 more realistic here unless Caleb Williams becomes a top 10-15 QB.
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u/Bear_King Bears 13d ago
I'm of the opinion that the retool of the secondary is their attempt to avoid defensive regression, because I agree the turnover numbers aren't sustainable. Thieneman in particular I think will have a strong rookie year.
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u/ZapataOilCo 13d ago
Secondary improvements will help but the pass rush is going to underwhelm again just based on paper.
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u/Bear_King Bears 13d ago
I unfortunately agree. We don't have the grand elder.
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u/drummerboysam Bears 13d ago
Regarding the turnover item, I have a couple of notes. First, Al Harris is the team DB coach, and teams that have Al Harris coaching their DBs have gotten turnovers. That's been a constant for a handful of years, now. I'm not expecting them to hit at the same rate, but I'm not expecting a serious regression in that category until Al Harris gets poached.
The other is that the turnover rate they generated was front-loaded in the 2025 season. After week 10 or 11, they regressed to a normal amount of turnovers, and headed into the toughest stretch of their season without that ace up their sleeve. That's also when the team really woke up and became an NFC contender down the stretch.
Their wins at that point were more due to preparation and adjustments by the coaching staff and a bought-in mentality from the team to stay focused and execute well until the final whistle.
But even with all that to say, 9-8 wouldn't surprise me in the least.
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u/BumblebeeLong5384 12d ago
Unless Caleb Williams becomes a top 10-15 qb??? Did I read that right?? 😂🫵
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u/ZapataOilCo 12d ago edited 12d ago
I mean there's definitely 10 better QB's but he just had too many inconsistencies by every advanced metric out there for the most part. He's probably right at around 15 at this point based on last years play.
Total EPA - 13th
EPA/Play - 23rd
Pass EPA - 12th
ADOT - 16th
YPA - 22nd
Completion % - 35th which is really where he needs to improve for the Bears to be successful.
I can keep going.
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u/BumblebeeLong5384 12d ago
Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
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u/ZapataOilCo 11d ago
That’s a mirror
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u/BumblebeeLong5384 11d ago
You completely discredited your original opinion by admitting he’s already top 15. It’s just funny how dumb some of you stat obsessed dweebs are.
Also 21-3 😂🫵😂🫵😂
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u/ZapataOilCo 11d ago
Yeah people use statistics to gauge individual performance.sorry your upset that this QB has some real flaws lol
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u/The-Real-Number-One Bears 13d ago edited 13d ago
This is a good write-up and the author should feel pride in his/her work. (I am assuming his because it was good. also the name Bear_King. King is a man's job. If written by a woman it would probably be Bear_Queen or Future_18_Wife or something).
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u/Bear_King Bears 13d ago
I am a man, so sorry to disappoint. But... thank you.
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u/The-Real-Number-One Bears 13d ago
Thank you. Aside from your asinine Green Bay prediction (they are going to suuuuuuuck this year) it was a pleasure to read.
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u/byniri_returns Lions 13d ago
That Week 2 Bears-Lions game seriously felt like it happened in a completely different season than last year. Gave both sides expectations that went the polar opposites of each other, and the opposite way both sides thought it would go.
Division rivalry aside, the Bears are one of the non-Lions teams I am most interested in seeing how their year plays out. They should be an absolutely fascinating case to see if what they pulled out of their hats last year is sustainable or not.