Ranking the Bears' position groups for 2026

Shield your eyes, Bears traditionalists. Ranking the Bears by position group entering training camp produces far more offensive standouts than those who play defense:

1. Tight end

The Bears have one of the best tight end rooms in the NFL. After using a first-round pick, second-round pick and a third-round pick at the position, they better.

The Bears were one of only three teams last year to have two tight ends total at least 300 yards, 30 catches and two touchdowns apiece. From Week 9-17, Colston Loveland ranked fifth among all tight ends in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns. He became the only rookie tight end in NFL history to have at least eight catches and 100 yards in a postseason game when the Bears beat the Packers.

The Bears added Stanford’s Sam Roush in Round 3, which will encourage coach Ben Johnson to keep playing with two- and three-tight end sets. The Bears used two tight ends 33% of the time last year, which ranked sixth, and three tight ends 9% of the time, which ranked fifth.

2. Wide receiver

The Bears’ decision to trade DJ Moore in the name of salary cap flexibility required tremendous faith in the players he leaves behind — namely, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden. The latter has Bears bosses crackling with excitement, while Odunze needs to find a way to produce on the field and manage a nagging foot injury off of it.

Almost 40% of Burden’s regular season receiving yards came in the last four games, a surge that gave the Bears confidence he could handle an increased target share this year.

Odunze said he’s facing a “new normal” after dealing with a stress fracture and catching just 44 balls. The Bears need him to stay healthy — Kalif Raymond is next on the depth chart, followed by unproven pieces looking to fill the Moore-sized hole in the roster.

3. Offensive line

After patching their pass rush last year, the Bears have to do it again. Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman’s sudden retirement prompted the trade for Garrett Bradbury and drafting of second-rounder Logan Jones. Left tackle Ozzy Trapilo’s patellar tendon injury gives Braxton Jones yet another chance to hang on.

Otherwise, the Bears have stars in guard Joe Thuney, the winner of the NFL’s first Protector of the Year Award, and Darnell Wright, who will become one of the NFL’s best-paid right tackles if he and the Bears can reach a contract extension before Week 1.

4. Quarterback

Caleb Williams isn’t the top player in the NFL, despite what Packers star Micah Parsons once intimated. Nor is he bad at his job, despite what Fox analyst Mark Schlereth thinks.

The reality is somewhere in the vast distance in between. This is the season we find out exactly where that is — just in time for the Bears to decide just how much to offer Williams in a contract extension.

Williams was a wizard late in games last year. The Bears need him to be more efficient long before it gets to that point. His completion percentage above expectation was the worst in football among all quarterbacks not named Brady Cook last year. His 58.1 completion percentage was the 38^th-best in a league with just 32 starters.

Remarkably, Williams hasn’t missed a minute due to injury over two years. Tyson Bagent ranks in the top half of NFL backups, though he’s been limited to mostly preseason work.

5. Safety

Safety will be the greatest test of the Bears’ instincts. General manager Ryan Poles, Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen let all-pro Kevin Byard leave and chose to give a three-year, $40 million deal to the versatile Coby Bryant.

Former second-round pick Jaquan Brisker signed with the Steelers. With questions to answer at edge rusher and offensive line, the Bears chose to draft Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman 25^th overall to replace him. It marked the first time since 1990 the team used a first-round pick at the position.

The Bears invested in their future, even if Bryant and Thieneman will have to play well to be an immediate upgrade over last year’s duo.

6. Running back

The Bears were the only team to have two players finish in the top 26 in rushing yards last year — tidy work for D’Andre Swift, who was coming off his worst season, and seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai. Even more meaningfully, they combined to miss only one game — Swift sat out in Cincinnati when the rookie ran for 176 yards.

Roschon Johnson and Brittain Brown aren’t particularly compelling backups, but their head coach’s play-calling could make them relevant rushers in a pinch.

7. Cornerback

The three players slotted to start at cornerback — Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and slot Kyler Gordon — combined to play 31% of the Bears’ defensive snaps last year because of injury and ineffectiveness. Even when he played, Johnson said he wasn’t his normal self. Gordon’s offseason soft-tissue issues make it even easier doubt the Bears’ dependability.

The team hope the trio can stay healthy enough to play closer to 80% of their snaps, the way they did two years ago. If not, a unit that was once the unquestioned strength of the franchise will continue to be a question mark, particularly after they let Pro Bowl player Nahshon Wright leave for a cheap contract with the Jets.

8. Linebacker

In their offseason quest to get faster, the Bears cut Tremaine Edmunds and signed Devin Bush to a three-year, $30 million deal. After not living up to his draft status — he was picked 10^th by the Steelers in 2019 — Bush posted his best season last year with the Browns, finishing as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-best linebacker.

He and T.J. Edwards, who is recovering from a broken leg, form a solid tandem, with D’Marco Jackson and Jack Sanborn fighting for the strong-side linebacker job and special teams snaps.

9. Special teams

The Bears let long snapper Scott Daly walk — he signed with the Buccaneers — and will have Luke Elkin and Beau Gardner battle during training camp. If they struggle, the Bears could always add a vet on the eve of the season.

Tory Taylor, to whom Elkin snapped at Iowa, ranked 11^th in punting average last year. Kicker Cairo Santos went 25-for-30, with one miss coming from 58 yards.

10. Defensive line

The only three NFL teams giving more 2026 salary cap money to edge rushers this year are paying T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby and Brian Burns, who have 16 combined Pro Bowl nods. The Bears, meanwhile, will have Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo counting combined $45.6 million against the cap. Odeyingbo had one sack last year before tearing his Achilles’ tendon and needs to make an impact for the unit to resemble a threat. Austin Booker is cheap and coming off a strong second half.

The Bears didn’t add much on the inside, either, after finishing sixth from the bottom in rushing yards allowed.