The Bears came out of Week 1 looking like a team with one side of the ball racing ahead of the other. Chicago hung 59 points on Carolina, piled up more than 500 yards, and gave its offense plenty of room to soak up the praise.
The defense? That group left a much different impression, and the fan base is already sorting out who can be trusted and who still has work to do.
That’s the idea behind this weekly trust index: a running snapshot of who earned confidence in the last game, who kept it, and who lost some of it. It’s built on performance, what coaches and players are saying, and even what’s happening at practice. After one week, the list is already taking shape.
At the top are the players who looked like absolute cornerstones.
Caleb Williams sits in the first tier after a huge opener. He threw for 269 yards, completed over 72% of his passes, ran for 65 more yards, and accounted for four total touchdowns. That kind of start puts him squarely in the MVP conversation early, and it’s enough to say everyone 100% trusts him on the field.
D’Andre Swift belongs there too. His new contract extension already looks justified after a 124-yard, three-touchdown performance in which he averaged 6.9 yards per carry. He looked comfortable and dangerous in Ben Johnson’s offense, and the message here is simple: keep feeding him.
On defense, Montez Sweat is the one player who looks dependable right now. He generated multiple pressures and added a sack against the Panthers. If Chicago’s defense is going to claw its way out of trouble, he may have to carry a huge load.
Darnell Wright also earned his spot in the top group. PFF had him as the NFL’s number one graded tackle at 84, and he only gave up two pressures while bullying Carolina’s line from the right side.
Joe Thuney rounds out that tier, even with a game that wasn’t spotless. He allowed four pressures and a quarterback hit, but the trust is still there because one rough outing doesn’t change what he’s been.
There were also several players who pushed their way into more confidence with strong openers.
Kyle Monangai flashed real burst with a 61-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and finished with 100 yards and the score. For a rookie, that kind of showing backs up the belief that his first year wasn’t a fluke.
Cole Kmet stepped up when Colston Loveland was held without a catch, hauling in a 22-yard touchdown. Even if he’s in a backup role for now, he still looks like one of the better tight ends around.
Rome Odunze didn’t pile up catches, but his 47-yard grab when he went up and took it from a Panthers defender was the kind of play that reminds everyone what he can do. He finished with 52 yards, and while the calf injury remains a concern, the signs pointed in the right direction.
Luther Burden III had a steady game too, catching five passes for 63 yards. The explosive plays haven’t fully arrived yet, but the Bears have enough there to feel good about his ability to handle the WR2 role.
The biggest jumpers came on the defensive side and in the secondary, where injuries forced opportunities and a few players answered.
Dillon Thieneman led the Bears with 10 tackles in his first game and added a pass deflection and a quarterback hit. He was everywhere, on defense and special teams, and with injuries stacking up in the secondary, Chicago needed him to deliver. He did.
Cam Lewis was thrown into a safety role at the last second after being told he would play there in place of Xavier Woods, and he still turned in a solid game. Six tackles later, he’s given the Bears something to think about in the slot or at safety.
Malik Muhammad was targeted often, but he held up well in nickel coverage. He allowed a passer rating of 39.8, the lowest among Bears corners, and added three tackles and two pass deflections. If Kyler Gordon can’t get healthy soon, Muhammad is looking like a real answer.
Kalif Raymond also helped himself plenty. Expected to be behind Odunze and Burden, he wound up leading the Bears with eight catches for 84 yards. That kind of production makes the wide receiver room look a lot better.
Not everyone came out of Week 1 in good shape, though. Some players landed in the proving ground, and a few are already slipping fast.
Braxton Jones didn’t have a disastrous game, but the fact that Theo Benedet still had to get on the field says plenty. Chicago’s left tackle situation looks unsettled, with Jones and Benedet rotating in and out, and that’s not a great sign. Ozzy Trapilo can’t return soon enough.
T.J. Edwards had one tackle, which is a rough look for an inside linebacker expected to be the heartbeat of the defense. That’s the kind of outing that costs trust quickly.
Tyrique Stevenson didn’t show much improvement from last season. He posted the fifth-worst PFF grade among corners at 36.8 and allowed a perfect passer rating of 158.3. If he wanted to convince anyone he can be a starting corner in this league, that wasn’t the way to do it.
Jaylon Johnson was the biggest letdown in that group, even though Stevenson was worse. Johnson is a two-time Pro Bowler, and his 44.8 PFF grade, five receptions allowed, and 113.7 passer rating allowed fell well short of that standard. After the injury issues he dealt with last year, this only adds to the frustration.
Ryan Bradbury entered the year with plenty of camp buzz, but his first game at center didn’t match the hype. PFF gave him a 49.9 overall grade, which ranked 29th out of 32 centers. He has to be better if he wants the fan base to buy in, because right now Logan Jones is looking like a pretty good choice.
And then there’s Odeyingbo, who lands here because the production still isn’t matching the price. The pressures are showing up, but with only one tackle and about $50 million tied to getting after the quarterback, Bears fans want more than flashes.
In Other News...
Bears Face One Huge Question In Maxx Crosby Buzz
Bleacher Reports recent trade buzz put Maxx Crosby in the Bears orbit, naming Chicago as a possible suitor alongside Dallas if the Raiders ever entertained moving the star edge rusher. The fit is easy to see from a Bears standpoint: Crosby would instantly change the conversation about a defense that has been looking for more disruption up front, and his presence would be the sort of addition that alters how opponents game-plan for an entire game.
For now, though, the conversation is mostly hypothetical. Crosby has recently reaffirmed his commitment to Las Vegas, and there are no indications that Chicago and the Raiders are engaged in any active trade talks. Still, the fact that his name is even attached to the Bears is enough to keep the idea simmering, because if the door ever cracked open, this would be the kind of move that could reshape the roster fast. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Already Have One NFC North Rival To Worry About
The NFC North is crowded at the top, but the Bears still sit in the spot every division opponent is chasing. With Chicago tied for the lead, the more interesting question is which rival is best positioned to close the gap first, and the early answer points to a familiar foe that has spent the last few years trying to turn promise into something more durable.
Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay all have reasons to believe they can make this a real race, with coaching stability, quarterback play and overall performance shaping the order of the threat list. For Chicago, the margin is thin enough that one hot stretch from the wrong opponent could change the feel of the division fast, even if the Bears remain the standard for now. [Read more 🡒]
Bears May Be Getting The Caleb Williams Protection Boost They Needed
Ozzy Trapilos recovery has become one of the more encouraging developments around Halas Hall as the Bears move toward their divisional matchup with the Vikings. After entering the year with expectations that a patellar tendon injury would keep him out for most or all of last season, Trapilo was listed as a full participant on Chicagos final injury report, a sign he may be ready to rejoin the mix sooner than expected.
For a team trying to settle the left side of its offensive line, that matters. Braxton Jones handled left tackle in Week 1, but Trapilos return could give Chicago another option in front of Caleb Williams and potentially shift how the Bears piece together protection moving forward, especially as the schedule begins to tighten in a divisional stretch. [Read more 🡒]