The Chicago Bears kicked off their 2026 preseason slate with an impressive 34-10 victory at Soldier Field. Although Saturday’s game will be their lone preseason contest at home, the stakes will continue to rise when they head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals during a midweek joint practice and then on Saturday evening for their Week 2 game. Before we turn the page on the Bears’ preseason opener, we’ll take a look back at the five things that stood out the most on Saturday afternoon in a special
edition of our Five Bears Takes.
1. The receiver depth might be better than advertised, even without any of their “roster locks” playing a snap on Saturday.
There’s no denying that the subtraction of DJ Moore is going to be a move that will at least take away from the top-end of their depth chart. That being said, a healthy Rome Odunze, combined with a Year 2 breakout from Luther Burden III, could be more than enough to help take this offense to the next level. Add in the veteran presence of Kalif Raymond, and another year of experience for Jahdae Walker, and all of a sudden, the Top 4 of their depth chart is all but set in stone.
That’s not even counting third-round pick Zavion Thomas, who, assuming he’s healthy, will take another roster spot as well. That is why, as the team headed into training camp, I questioned whether it really needed to use six roster spots at receiver.
It’s been a long time since fans have been able to look at the roster and clearly see a group of players that will be good enough to make the roster, yet still be either cut or traded due to an overabundance of talent. Receiver, maybe more than any other position, feels like a prime candidate for exactly that, and Saturday afternoon’s game did nothing to dissuade anyone’s feelings on this subject.
Former CFL’er Kaden Davis led the offense with 88 receiving yards on four receptions. That included a 44-yarder that caught everyone’s eye. Moving down the list, veterans Ray-Ray McCloud (three catches for 63 yards), Maurice Alexander (three catches for 42 yards, and a touchdown), and Scotty Miller (three catches for 37 yards) all stood out at various points during the game.
Assuming all goes well on the health front, the final spot on the depth chart could come down to that trio of veterans who all stood out in the first game. Special teams value will play a big role, but it’s worth noting that all three players bring plenty of experience in that department. Buckle in, Bears fans, the race for the sixth and final spot promises to heat up over the next two weeks.
2. Speaking of the offense, it’s a good thing that Ozzy Trapilo is being activated off PUP, because neither Kiran Amegadjie nor Jedrick Wills Jr. looked ready to be a serious contestant for the Week 1 starting job.
If you had Trapilo being activated on PUP before Kyler Gordon, Shemar Turner, or Elijah Hicks, congratulations, and I hope you bought a lottery ticket (or 12). For the rest of us (mere mortals), the news of Trapilo not only being activated but practicing on Sunday came as a shock, to say the least. After all, the former second-round pick is just seven months removed from an injury that typically costs players anywhere from 10-12 months in rehab and recovery.
For all the bad injury luck the team has experienced so far this camp, getting Trapilo back into the mix is one of the best outcomes anyone could ask for, even though it’s likely that he wouldn’t be expected to start right away as the regular season approaches.
A big reason is Amegadjie’s lack of development and the fact that Wills doesn’t look remotely healthy enough to play a full game. Neither “development” nor the fact that Wills doesn’t look remotely healthy enough to play a full game is overly surprising, but the Wills’ gamble was one that many, including me, would have expected to pan out a bit better. Now, it’s possible that as he continues to get back into football shape, he’ll round into form, but with Braxton Jones, Trapilo and Theo Benedet all with an ability to start and play left tackle, the chances of either Amegadjie or Wills making the team don’t look great.
It’s clear that Trapilo is still the team’s long-term hope at left tackle, and being on the 53-man roster heading into Week 1 would only boost his chances of “earning” the starting job early in the season. For now, we’ll be left to marvel at how impressive a comeback it’s been and hope that when all is said and done, he shows meaningful contributions to this roster in 2026.
3. While the questions at defensive end remain, it’s easy to feel better about the depth that they’ve built on the interior, starting with sixth-round rookie Jordan van den Berg and veteran James Lynch.
Now, that’s not to say that the Bears will get into the season and magically have a top-end defensive tackle room. That said, there’s enough youthful upside between Gervon Dexter Sr. and van den Berg to go along with a quality veteran presence in the form of Grady Jarrett, Neville Gallimore, and Lynch.
On Saturday night, Lynch played on the edge more than he did on the interior, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering his tweener size. Even so, he finished the game with multiple pressures, a quarterback hit, and a batted pass. More importantly, he was all over the place and provided one of the more steady presences on the defensive line, regardless of the level of competition he was facing. Van den Berg was also impressive, even if his numbers showed just one tackle and one quarterback hit. He got a pressure on 20% of his pass-rushing snaps and finished with an 83.3 pass-rushing grade per Pro Football Focus.
The biggest key heading into the season will be how healthy (and productive) the top three names on the depth chart can be. With that in mind, having developmental depth in the form of van den Berg, on top of potentially a veteran to round out this group in the form of Lynch or even Kentavius Street, could be enough to help provide better depth and more overall upside to a group that truly needs it if they expect the defense to improve in 2026.
4. Although there was plenty to like about the defense’s performance on Saturday, some veteran additions might be needed in the coming weeks. Veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport is first up. Still, fans should have their eyes set on better.
The continued ambiguity surrounding nickelback Kyler Gordon is reaching new levels of frustration for fans and the organization alike. Couple that with the news that Coby Bryant likely won’t be back until December at the earliest, and this is all starting to feel like Dejavu all over again.
Couple that with the complete lack of improvements (on paper) along the defensive line, and it’s fair to wonder what the defense’s ceiling is heading into the regular season. More importantly, is there a high enough ceiling with this group for the Bears to be considered “Super Bowl contenders” for 2026? I’ll tell you one thing: adding Davenport isn’t going to move the needle, not one iota.
Improvements along the defensive line are always going to be hard to come by, especially this late in the process. Outside of 31-year-old veteran defensive tackle Vita Vea, is there one impact player worth making a move for before Week 1? Unless someone like Josh Sweat becomes available, it’s unlikely. Which means fans might want to shift their focus to the secondary.
While Beanie Bishop’s two-interception performance on Saturday was fun, bringing in a proven veteran or two in the secondary might make the most sense in the short term. The name that keeps standing out on the free agent market is Kenny Moore. Allen values versatility in his defensive backfield, and even if Moore is on the wrong side of 30, he could provide a C.J. Gardner-Johnson type of value. There’s been some speculation that former Saints corner Paulson Adebo could be on the trade market. Still, any trading team would have to take on $17.25 million in base salary for the upcoming season. The Giants would likely need to eat a solid portion of his base salary, and even then, how much sense does another outside cornerback make when the bigger need is at safety and inside at nickel?
The Bears will have some options to improve their depth, but until we get a more concrete timeline on Gordon, a path forward to improving the depth chart on paper will require plenty of creativity.
5. The continued praise of Caleb Williams in Year 2 of this offense should have everyone feeling great. The narrative around the Bears’ quarterback and head coach has been night and day compared with a year ago.
If we are being completely honest with ourselves, the Bears’ success in 2026 will likely come down to how much of a step forward their offense can take. With an offensive-minded head coach at the helm and in full control, the reliance on the offensive side of the ball should not come as a surprise.
That’s why it’s great to hear so many matching headlines/stories regarding Williams’ progress heading into his third season as an NFL quarterback. The same media members (both nationally and locally) who reported last camp’s struggles are now saying how impressive a turnaround it has been in just 12 months. For some fans, the only validation they needed that Williams and this offense were headed in the right direction came from their late-season improvements and improbable playoff comebacks. For others, including myself, it’s been nice to hear that not only has Williams taken ownership of the entire operation, but he’s so far along that they’ve actually had to pull him back a little bit. Although I’m still not 100% sure what that entails, it’s clear that Ben Johnson and Williams are in lockstep, which is not something Bears fans can ever say has happened with an offensive-minded coach and their quarterback.
While it’s still unclear whether or not we’ll see Williams and the starting offense this preseason, fans should be comfortable enough to dream when it comes to the skill positions. Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland have garnered much of the attention, and rightfully so. Still, players like Rome Odunze and D’Andre Swift should not be overlooked as potential “breakout players” for 2026. Johnson’s goal is to be an historically productive offense, and while that has rarely led to Super Bowl victories in the past, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many fans who wouldn’t be on board with the league’s most explosive offense. Buckle in, Bears fans. The train is getting close to leaving the station, and there’s plenty of cause for excitement heading into the regular season on the offensive side of the ball.
