With the start of the 2026 NFL season upon us, it’s time to set the stage for a project spanning the entirety of the season. That’s right, folks – I’m back to Benchmark Da Bears once again! Each week, I’ll be taking a look at Chicago’s offensive playmakers, tracking their production, and comparing their statistical output against a comparable player from Ben Johnson’s past.
New this year, however, is the introduction of some additional milestones that hold historical significance either to the Bears
franchise or even to the league as a whole. Both Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams have expressed a desire to field the most productive offense of all-time, so we’ll naturally have to keep one eye on the 2013 Denver Broncos (led by Bears legends John Fox and Adam Gase), who hold that distinction, having scored an average of 37.9 points per game.
But without further ado, it’s time to name our players and the comps that have set the standard we will hold them to throughout the 2026 NFL season:
Quarterback
Caleb Williams, 3rd NFL season
Comp Player: 2022 Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
Goff’s 2022 Statline:
We’re starting off with a repeat, but truthfully, Caleb Williams is simply a player who is difficult to compare. Couple that with limited candidates (really just Goff and Caleb himself) and we’re left to select Goff’s first year under Ben Johnson’s direction once again. That said, Caleb is a very different quarterback than Goff, and these statistical benchmarks will serve as more of a measuring stick than the more literal comparisons we will find among some of the following players.
Milestones: 4,000 passing yards; 29 passing TDs (franchise record – Kramer); 5,477 passing yards (2013 Peyton Manning); 55 passing TDs (2013 Peyton Manning)
Running Backs
D’Andre Swift, 7th NFL season
Comp Player: 2025 D’Andre Swift (Chicago Bears)
Swift’s 2025 Statline:
Kyle Monangai, 2nd NFL season
Comp Player: 2024 David Montgomery (Detroit Lions)
Montgomery’s 2024 Statline:
While it was tempting to go with a “Sonic & Knuckles” duo for comparison here, Swift is too unlike Gibbs for that particular comp. Instead, I’ve chosen to compare Swift to his own performance from last season, which was arguably the best of his career to this point. Monangai, in his second season, should be expected to elevate his game and with that in mind, the Montgomery comparison feels apt as the more powerful runner in Johnson’s two-headed backfield. Note: franchise records are likely out of reach at this position for obvious reasons
Milestones: 1,597 combined rushing yards (2013 Broncos RBs); 15 combined rushing TDs (2013 Broncos RBs)
Tight Ends
Colston Loveland, 2nd NFL season
Comp Player: 2023 Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions)
LaPorta’s 2023 Statline:
Cole Kmet, 7th NFL season
Comp Player: 2021 T.J. Hockenson (Detroit Lions)
Hockenson’s 2021 Statline:
I know some will wonder about the absence of rookie Sam Roush, but ultimately, I think it will take some time for him to grow into his role. Even then, there is a ceiling on his production with all of the mouths to feed in this offense. As far as Loveland and Kmet go, the comps here are extremely familiar as they are the same as last year’s. Loveland’s ascension in the latter part of the 2025 season should align him more closely with LaPorta’s fabled rookie season in 2026. Kmet (like all of the 2025 Bears TEs) had extremely limited production to start the year, but Hockenson is still a closer comp than most Johnson-coached products, even if this was during Johnson’s stint as the Lions’ TEs Coach.
Milestones: 1,076 receiving yards (franchise record for TE – Ditka); 12 receiving TDs (franchise record for TE – Ditka); 90 receptions (franchise record for TE – Bennett); 14 combined receiving TDs (2013 Broncos TEs)
Wide Receivers
Rome Odunze, 3rd NFL season
Comp Player: 2024 Jameson Williams (Detroit Lions)
Williams’ 2024 Statline:
Luther Burden, 2nd NFL season
Comp Player: 2022 Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions)
St. Brown’s 2022 Statline:
Kalif Raymond, 10th NFL season
Comp Player: 2022 Kalif Raymond (Detroit Lions)
Raymond’s 2022 Statline:
Zavion Thomas, Rookie season
Comp Player: 2025 Luther Burden (Chicago Bears)
Burden’s 2025 Statline:
I feel that you can make a strong case that this position group is simultaneously the most exciting and puzzling of the four. We largely know what to expect from the players I’ve covered above (albeit with varying levels of untapped potential), but the receivers on the 2026 Chicago Bears seem to be a group that many have opinions ALL across the board on. As far as comp players go, I see Rome Odunze lining up similarly to Jameson Williams’ primary deep threat role, while Luther Burden is set to take on the YAC production responsibility of a young Amon-Ra St. Brown. Kalif Raymond is compared to a past version of himself, but one that held a greater role in the Lions’ offense than in his most recent seasons. Finally, Zavion Thomas is hard to pin down, but Luther Burden’s output from last season seems a fitting measuring stick for another incoming rookie who will need to play himself into offensive snaps.
Milestones: 1,430 receiving yards (2013 Demaryius Thomas); 14 receiving TDs (2013 Demaryius Thomas); 1,508 receiving yards (franchise record – Marshall); 13 receiving TDs (franchise record – Gordon, Kavanaugh); 38 combined receiving TDs (2013 Broncos WRs)
It’s clear that this team will need these players to have some outstanding seasons in order for the Bears to experience success similar to what they found in 2025. To achieve the legendary status that Johnson and Williams have their eyes set on? That may take more than a couple of leaps. Still, a wise man once said, “the ceiling… is the roof,” and I’m hoping to see this team exceed all of our expectations.
