It’s hard to believe, but football season is already around the corner. The Chicago Bears rookies reported for training on Saturday, July 25, and veterans followed on Tuesday, July 28. Their first open practice is slated for July 31, and we’ve got everything you need to enter this season in the know.
Looking back at 2025
Who could forget the magic that was the Bears’ last season? The 2025-26 campaign stood on the shakiest of legs before landing an 11-6 final record and a thrilling playoff win against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.
Fans shared a massive exhale during week four when Josh Blackwell blocked a Las Vegas field goal with 33 seconds left on the clock to salvage a Bears victory. This was the first of an improbable six games won by the Bears in the final two minutes last season, becoming the first team in NFL history to do this. Two weeks later, placekicker Jake Moody’s kick sailed successfully through the uprights to avenge the Bears’ wrenching last-minute loss to the Washington Commanders in 2024.
In week nine, jaws hit the floor as rookie Colston Loveland spun his way through two Cincinnati defenders for a 58-yard touchdown that stunned the Bengals and the Cincinnati crowd. A week later, the offense scored two late fourth-quarter touchdowns in a heartstopping win, at home, against the New York Giants. Fans were left in disbelief as Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard kickoff return set up yet another last-second field goal in Minnesota during week 11.
Come week 16, fans held their breath as Caleb Williams’ 46-yard touchdown pass hung in the air for three full seconds before finding D.J. Moore’s arms; the rivalled Packers were beaten in overtime last December. When the Packers lost to the Baltimore Ravens the following week, the Bears had secured their first division championship since 2018. The night of January 10 was a season highlight: the Monsters of the Midway erupted for 25 fourth-quarter points against those same Packers, engineering an unlikely playoff comeback win that seemed to defy reality.
Well, it certainly defied the previous decade-and-a-half of precedent. Heading into December 2025, the Bears had won just four of their last 30 matchups with their Wisconsin rivals. Now, the Bears have won three of their last four matchups. While the Packers are still favored to win the division this coming season—just behind the Detroit Lions—the gap between the two franchises is closer than ever.
It’s easy to understand why fan excitement for the Bears is so high. Last year’s defense had a knack for timely and exciting plays, leading the NFL with 23 interceptions. And Caleb Williams’ record-setting play has fans believing that their team has a quarterback worthy of carrying a Super Bowl squad for the first time in a long while. Plus, it didn’t take long for first-time head coach Ben Johnson’s adrenaline-fueled postgame shouting—and acquiescence to a hot dog stand’s challenge for public shirtlessness—to become local sports lore.
Position previews: coaching staff
Fresh off a smashing coaching debut and a fourth-place finish in last year’s Coach of the Year voting, 40-year-old Ben Johnson returns for his second year as head coach. Much of this summer’s optimism derives from the idea that their solid offense should only get better after a full year internalizing the South Carolina native’s complicated system.
38-year-old Press Taylor has been promoted to offensive coordinator after incumbent Declan Doyle departed to take a promotion with Baltimore. The brother of Cincinnati leader Zac Taylor, the younger sibling held the OC role in Jacksonville from 2022 to 2024 before joining the Bears last season.
Former New Orleans ringmaster Dennis Allen is back for a second season as defensive coordinator. Last year’s defensive performance was inconsistent, with its best moments fueled by a bevy of timely turnovers that are unlikely to be replicated this year. It’s fair to say that Allen made the most of the lackluster personnel he was given, but the pressure to improve will be higher this season.
Other coaches of note include Riverdale native, Thornton Township High School grad, and Super Bowl winner Antwaan Randle El, who returns as wide receivers and <b>assistant head coach; former Ohio State star J.T. Barrett, who returns as quarterbacks coach; and Al Harris, who returns as defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator, despite taking interviews with Tennessee, Green Bay, and Washington during the offseason.
Position previews: offense
He’s the star of the show: Caleb Williams enters his third season as Chicago’s quarterback following a breakout sophomore campaign, wherein he set a new franchise record with 3942 passing yards, breaking Erik Kramer’s three-decade-old mark. Though his decision-making skills garnered criticism from some, his intelligence, laser arm, speed, and agility is a once-in-a-generation package.
Tyson Bagent is in his fourth year as the Bears’ primary backup quarterback, having signed a two-year contract extension before the 2025 season. The unlikely pro out of Division II Shepherd University hasn’t seen much action since Williams arrived, but showed enough spunk during his 2023 fill-in stint to endear himself to fans (and Bears coaches, it seems). 38-year-old Case Keenum returns as third-stringer, serving as a de facto coach for the youthful Williams and Bagent.
Though it’s rarely in the spotlight, a team’s offense frequently lives and dies with its offensive line. Last season, the Bears’ offense coalesced just as the line found its footing as a unit, but center Drew Dalman’s sudden retirement and left tackle Ozzie Trapilo’s playoff knee injury have necessitated some adjustments. Center Garrett Bradbury replaces Dalman from New England while the team trains newly-minted second round pick Logan Jones for the role. Starters Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet will duke it out in training camp to fill in for Trapilo, while first team All-Pro Joe Thuney, second team All-Pro Darnell Wright, and Jonah Jackson are all expected to reprise their starting roles.
Our favorite running-back duo from 2025 is also back for more rushing attacks. Seven-year veteran D’Andre Swift will nominally sit at the top of the depth chart after a career-best 1386 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns last year, but he’ll cede plenty of snaps to second-year rising star Kyle Monangai, who burst onto the scene last year with 783 rushing yards on just 169 carries, including a memorable 176-yard outing against Cincinnati in his only start. We’re expecting a classic smash-and-dash combination, with Swift catching passes and handling outside runs while Monangai takes the lead in short-yardage and inside runs.
Fan-favorite receiving leader D.J. Moore went to Buffalo in an offseason trade, giving former 9th overall pick Rome Odunze a relatively clear runway to number one wide receiver, though second-year speedster Luther Burden III could pose a challenge after a strong finish last season. Plus, expectations are lofty for tight end Colston Loveland, who is projected to be a focal point of Johnson’s offense after starring with 137 yards in the Bears’ playoff win over the Packers last January. Veteran TE and Barrington native Cole Kmet is back for his seventh year with the team, as is Bear alongside kicker Cairo Santos. 2026 third round pick Sam Roush is expected to play a blocking role this year while Loveland handles receiving duties and Kmet does a bit of both.
Rounding out the receiving corps, we have longtime Detroit stalwart Kalif Raymond; veteran Scotty Miller, most recently with Philadelphia; sophomore Jahdae Walker; and rookie Zavion Thomas, whom the Bears selected in the third round of the draft this spring.
Position previews: defense
Thought by many to be the Bears’ biggest weakness, the team’s ability to reach championship caliber may hinge on improvements in pass rushing. Montez Sweat led the defensive line with 10 sacks last season, but is considered best cast as a number two, while general manager Ryan Poles’s failure to acquire any alternatives leaves the underwhelming combination of Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo lining up opposite Sweat. Defensive tackles Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr. return to starting duties, and 2025 second-rounder Shermar Turner will try to make an impact after a lost rookie year.
Lake County native T.J. Edwards returns from a serious postseason leg injury to lead the linebackers after the team parted ways with leading tackler Tremaine Edmunds in the offseason. Veterans Devin Bush and Jack Sanborn were inked to replace him after a career-best 125 tackles in Cleveland last year, while D’Marco Jackson was re-signed to compete for snaps with 2025 backup Noah Sewell and former second round pick <b> Hyppolite II. This group is of less concern than the line, but its efficacy will rely on whether Bush can live up to his three-year, $30 million contract, as he showed little in the way of stardom before last year’s breakout.
The ball-hawking defensive backs will be led by star cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, both of whom struggled with injuries in 2025, but remain in Chicago on long-term extensions. The safety positions will both have new occupants this year, as hard-hitting Jaquan Brisker signed with Pittsburgh and league interception leader Kevin Byard departed for New England. One will be replaced by Coby Bryant, who tallied 64 tackles and four interceptions for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks last year before becoming the Bears’ marquee offseason acquisition with a three-year, $40 million contract. The other spot will likely be filled by rookie Dillon Thienemann, the team’s first pick in last spring’s draft. Tyrique Stevenson still has a chance to make an impact despite a turbulent Bears career, as does Josh Blackwell.
Schedule highlights
The Bears’ 2026 schedule is a weird one, and it’s not clear it’s to their benefit. They’re set to get a whopping seven prime time (nationally broadcast) or holiday games, including Thanksgiving and Christmas, which will be the most the team has played in its history. This means they’re playing six games on less rest than usual, which could be a recipe for injuries and sloppy play against a tough slate of opponents. Here are some games to look out for:
9/28: Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles presents a rematch of last year’s inaugural Black Friday matchup, when the Bears announced their arrival on the competitive scene with a 24-15 beatdown in front of the whole country.
10/22: Thursday Night Football brings the defending AFC champion New England Patriots to Chicago in a matchup that will be framed by the battle between Caleb Williams and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who was selected just two picks after Williams in the 2024 draft.
11/2: Chicago returns to the west coast for Monday Night Football against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, which ought to test how ready the Bears are for the bright lights.
11/26: After a one-year hiatus, Thanksgiving football is back with the Bears’ traditional matchup against the Detroit Lions. The 2024 Turkey Bowl between the two infamously saw Bears coach Matt Eberflus allow time to expire despite a chance to tie the game. This error led directly to Eberflus’ dismissal—the first in-season firing in team history. Nonetheless, the Bears hold an 11-9 lead in the all-time holiday series.
12/19: Saturday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills in the often snowy western New York December promises an intense battle between aspiring contenders. It’s the Bears’ first trip to Buffalo since 2018, when they won 41-9 on the way to a division title.
12/25: Given how last year ended for the Bears’ century-old rivals, it’s hard to envision Christmas Day against the Green Bay Packers as anything less than the climax of the regular season. This will be the third edition of Yuletide football for Chicago, with both previous appearances also coming against the Packers in 2005 and 2011, a win and a loss, respectively.
Malachi Hayes is a Bridgeport-based writer and South Side native.