Although it might be hard to believe, the two primary acquisition phases of the offseason have come to a close. Now, that doesn’t mean that teams won’t continue to churn their rosters over the next several months, but outside of a handful of quality veteran free agents still left on the market. A few surprise trades, all 32 teams around the league have a good idea of what they’ll want the bulk of their 53-man rosters to look like come September.
For general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson,
the heavy lifting following a division title and their first playoff victory in 15 years has brought them to a “wait and see” point. While it’s no secret that the Chicago Bears have approached this offseason financially conservatively, it’s worth wondering how much they’ve really improved their roster, at least on paper. With the team’s rookie minicamp slated to kick off this weekend, now is a great time to take a deeper dive into what the team’s roster could look like when the season opens in September.
Quarterback (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, and Case Keenum
Like most playoff contenders, there won’t be many roster spots available heading into training camp. For a second-straight season, the quarterback room should remain unchanged. Williams is an ascending player heading into Year 3, and despite some early offseason trade talk, Bagent is back for another year under Johnson. The one mild surprise of the offseason came when the Bears gave Keenum a two-year deal to remain in Chicago. Still, it’s clear that, after a disastrous rookie season for their former No. 1 overall pick, they didn’t want to mess with the chemistry at the most important position in football.
Running Back (3): D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, and Brittain Brown
Count me out as someone who will play the hindsight game with last year’s hand-wringing about the running back position. It was a clear point of concern, and luckily for everyone involved, it worked out much better than expected. Thanks to last year’s one-two punch, the team focused its efforts on other areas. That said, there are some questions about the top two names, so for now, I’ll give it to Brown. Don’t be surprised to see a late-offseason move for some additional depth.
Tight End (4): Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Sam Roush, and Nikola Kalinic
If last year’s No. 10 overall selection of Loveland didn’t convince fans that Johnson is serious about the tight end position, maybe this year’s early third-round surprise of Roush will. While some have been left to speculate about Kmet’s future beyond 2026, this conversation will be focused on the season ahead. Really, the only question is whether or not they’ll keep a fourth tight end. If so, who will it be? For now, Kalinic has my vote due to his special-teams value and nasty on-field demeanor.
Wide Receiver (5): Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker, and Zavion Thomas
It feels like just yesterday that the Bears traded away the No. 1 overall pick and picked up a package of picks, including veteran receiver DJ Moore, to help them establish some relevancy at the position. Three years into his tenure in Chicago, Moore was shipped off to Buffalo. While that might have felt highly unrealistic a year ago, the high-round selections of both Odunze and Burden allowed them to shed a big contract while picking up a second-round pick in the process. The bigger question will be the depth behind them, but with Raymond coming over from Detroit on a one-year deal, Walker returning for a second season, and the third-round selection of Thomas, their top five seems clear heading into training camp. Similar to tight end, it’ll be interesting to see if they choose to keep an extra body here. My initial guess is that they won’t.
Offensive Line (10): Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, Garrett Bradybury, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Jedrick Wills Jr., Theo Benedet, Logan Jones, Luke Newman, and Jordan McFadden
Going into January’s Wild Card matchup with the Green Bay Packers, it appeared that the starting five was not only set but slated to remain in place for the foreseeable future. First came Ozzy Trapilo’s season-ending with a ruptured patellar tendon, and two months later, Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman abruptly retired after five seasons in the league. Johnson and Poles acted quickly to throw a bandaid on both spots, while bringing up some youthful upside with Wills on a one-year free agent deal, and Jones with their second pick in last month’s draft. On the surface, this group doesn’t have the same upside as they did a year ago, but the depth is strong, and the hope is that Trapilo will be back to 100% by next season.
Defensive End (5): Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo, Shemar Turner, and Daniel Hardy
With Odeyingbo and Turner coming off serious leg injuries, the fact that the front office has yet to address the edge rusher is quite confounding, but I digress. Right now, the depth chart looks about full. With that being said, there’s got to be at least some question as to whether Odeyingbo and Turner are going to be healthy enough to start the season on the roster, or if they’ll revert to PUP for the first month of the season. Because of that, fans can expect the front office to keep an ear to the ground. If anything, they need a floor raiser.
Defensive Tackle (5): Gervon Dexter Sr., Grady Jarrett, Neville Gallimore, Kentavius Street, and Jordan van den Berg
Even with three new names on the depth chart here, it’s worth wondering if they’ve done nearly enough. Gone are Andrew Billings and Chris Williams. In are Gallimore, Street, van den Berg, and potential James Lynch. Although ESPN reported big plans for van den Berg, it’s always worth keeping in perspective that he’s a sixth-round rookie. This group should be better as a whole due to scheme fit, but how much better is the golden question?
Linebacker (5): Devin Bush, DeMarco Jackson, T.J. Edwards, Keyshaun Elliott, and Jack Sanborn
Over the last few seasons, the Bears have had the most expensive linebacker corps in the league. With the release of veteran Tremaine Edmunds and a focus on speed, this group should fit what Dennis Allen wants to do a whole lot better in 2026. Bush was one of the Bears’ big-ticket free agent items, but don’t overlook them bringing back Jackson. When he was on the field in 2025, the defense played much better. Elliott’s development will be interesting to watch, and for now, I have Sanborn taking the final spot over both Sewell brothers.
Cornerback (6): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Malik Muhammad, Josh Blackwell, and Zah Frazier
Even with the subtraction of Nashon Wright, it’s easy to see this group as a net-positive heading into 2026. Health will be key, especially for Johnson and Gordon. The addition of Muhammad in the fourth round gives this group some additional upside, with depth options like Blackwell, Frazier, and Terell Smith battling it out for the final two spots. Assuming this unit has better health, they should be in for a rebound season. The defense, as currently constructed, is almost counting on it.
Safety (4): Coby Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks, and Cam Lewis
Heading into the offseason, the Bears had no safeties under contract. With both starters, Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, departing in free agency, the front office and coaching staff worked in tandem to completely re-work this room. Hicks is the lone returning player expected to make the final roster, but it’s all but guaranteed that fans will see two new starters looking to pick up where the old group left off. Even if the production isn’t as proven, this group should have much higher overall upside.
Special Teams (3): K Cairo Santos, P Tory Taylor, and LS Beau Gardner
Barring an undrafted free agent surprise at kicker, it appears that Santos and Taylor will be back together for a third straight season. In somewhat of a surprising and overlooked decision, the team has yet to bring back veteran long snapper Scott Daly. For the time being, that job will come down to a pair of undrafted players, including last year’s signee Luke Elkins and Gardner. I’ll give Gardner the edge right now for his college resume.
