Sports
Chicago May Have Finally Built It Right around Caleb Williams
Last year, most people didn’t have the Bears being the 2025 NFC North Champions, but here we are. Chicago used a weaker schedule to their advantage and seemed to run into their division opponents at just the right time.
After a second-half meltdown at home to the Vikings to open the season and a beatdown by the Lions the following week, they righted the ship and stayed mostly on the winning side. Although they weren’t exactly blowing teams out. They were doing enough to get by under the new leadership of Head Coach Ben Johnson.
Just like every team, they lost players to free agency and the salary cap. They will have to reload just the same, but it might be a heavy task with the players they lost this past year, who were major contributors.
Bears’ New Supporting Cast Raises the Stakes for 2026
The Bears have definitely been on an upward trajectory. If Caleb Williams continues his ascent, they could put players around him to make them a dangerous team for years to come.
Free Agency
The Bears have been aggressive in bringing in free agents over the last few years. With a young quarterback showing he could be a star in the NFL on a rookie contract, it becomes easier to retain him and bring in help.
For the most part, the contracts haven’t been out of control, and they have even traded for players in key positions that help a young QB succeed. When Ryan Poles was hired as GM, it was the same year that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was hired by the Vikings.
Both were up for the GM job in Minnesota, and at first, it looked like Poles was getting schooled and that Adofo Mensah was the right choice for Minnesota. Years later, Poles is the better GM, with Adofo Mensah fired from his job in Minnesota. Here’s their free agency run in 2026.
- Drew Dalman retired
- Garrett Bradbury traded 2026 2nd round pick to Patriots
- Linebacker Tremaine Edwards signed with Patriots
- Safety Jaquan Brisker Signed with Steelers.
- Safety Kevin Byard III Signed with Patriots.
- Safety/Cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson Signed with Bills.
- Cornerback Nahshon Wright Signed with Jets.
- Safety Jonathan Owens Signed with Colts.
- Defensive lineman Andrew Billings Signed with Cardinals.
- Tight End Durham Smythe Signed with Ravens.
- Receiver Devin Duvernay Signed with Cardinals.
- Receiver Olamide Zaccheaus Signed with Falcons.
- Offensive lineman Ryan Bates unrestricted free agent.
- Receiver DJ Moore traded to Bills for 2026 2nd round pick
- Safety Coby Bryant signed
- Linebacker Devin Bush signed
- Defensive lineman Neville Gallimore signed
- Cornerback Cam Lewis signed
- Receiver Kalif Raymond signed
- Quarterback Case Keenum signed
- Offensive tackle Jedric Wills Jr. signed
The Bears had a pretty decent free agency when it comes to signing new players. Bryant is a great safety, and Devin Bush is a solid linebacker. Bringing in Raymond strengthens the receiver crew as he worked with the staff when they were in Detroit.
Case Keenum is a solid veteran signing for the young Williams to lean on (and to back up his trailer if necessary *wink). Garret Bradbury had to be traded for. This only happened after they got one year from Drew Dalman, whom they had signed to a three-year contract after a stellar career in Atlanta, when he suddenly retired. The problem I see here is who they lost in free agency.
Was it too much, or who did they lose? Sure, Durham Smythe might have had some key block or catch during the year, but he wasn’t showing up like most of these guys were. Edwards, Brisker, Byard, and Wright all started for the Bears’ defense that was pretty good last year. Dalman was a huge get last year that should have solidified their line for years to come.
Most of the team’s wins were close games that a stable defense could have helped keep close, taking pressure off the young quarterback. Those are all solid players who are gone and not easily replaced. Moore is an outstanding receiver, and Duvernay and Zacchaeus are good receivers who stepped up in some big situations last season. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III may become stars and are young, but that’s a lot of guys suddenly not there for Williams to have much trust in.
Draft
With the success they had last year, you would think this draft would have been about filling a few holes and adding a little for the future. However, look at everyone they let go, especially in the secondary.
How can a team that lost that many starters be expected to pick up where they left off? My one thought was that perhaps they are anticipating Williams’ big contract, which his representation will start talking about at the end of this season, and that he will go into the fourth year of his rookie contract if his growth and success continue. Here’s who they picked up in the draft.
- Round 1, Pick 25: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
- Round 2, Pick 57: Logan Jones, C, Iowa
- Round 3, Pick 69: Sam Roush, TE, Stanford
- Round 3, Pick 89: Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU
- Round 4, Pick 124: Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
- Round 5, Pick 166: Keyshaun Elliott, LB, Arizona State
- Round 6, Pick 213: Jordan Van den Berg, DT, Georgia Tech
Thieneman fills a hole at the safety position right away, pairing him with Bryant. I don’t think Muhammed can jump right in at cornerback, and he and Lewis hold down a position that was highly discussed last year. Wright had a huge resurgence in Chicago after flaming out in Dallas and Minnesota, which didn’t give him a fair shake.
He parleyed that into a nice contract with the Jets. Jones will sit behind Bradbury until he’s ready. Bradbury was embattled in Minnesota as a 1st-round pick and also wrote a new narrative in New England. As only the Bears can do, they spent another draft pick on a tight end. Colston Loveland is an emerging star at the position, and Cole Kmet is no slouch. Roush might be an eventual replacement for Kmet when he gets too expensive or makes him expendable during training camp if he shines, but that’s a big ask of the rookie. He isn’t in a great spot to make an immediate impact.
The Bears’ draft wasn’t flashy enough to brag about, other than Thieneman, who could develop into a Harrison Smith-type player.
Overall
The Bears won the North … barely. Williams seems to be the real deal with a strong running back group behind him and two legit receivers and tight ends. Ben Johnson has now had a full year to implement his offense, which might get even more interesting. His schemes may be enough to propel the team past the players they lost. Those close games strengthen a young team and improve cohesion with a veteran team.
When you let all that veteran experience go on both sides of the ball and throw rookies in most spots, that’s a prescription for going backward. Even with the pieces they brought in, there are no guarantees. If Bradbury regresses and the defensive backfield doesn’t gel, or if Williams has a slump or gets injured, as most scrambling quarterbacks are known to do, there will be some angry Bears fans if those close wins turn into close losses.
They still are the team to beat in the North, but there is an opening for other teams to take advantage of. Their division opponents all boast strong defenses and players on both sides of the ball, making winning the division any easier this year. Similar to when the Lions lost Johnson to the Bears, the losses on Chicago’s roster may kill the momentum they built in 2025.
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