The first look at the Chicago Bears’ defensive depth chart had plenty of people reaching for the panic button, but the picture gets a lot clearer once you zoom in.
On paper, the Week 1 alignment is straightforward enough: Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo at end, Grady Jarrett and Kentavius Street inside, T.J. Edwards and Devin Bush at linebacker, Dillon Thieneman and Xavier Woods at safety, Cam Lewis in the nickel, and Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson Sr. at corner.
That list alone is what set off the immediate reaction. But the depth chart is only the starting point, not the full plan.
The biggest thing to understand is how much Jordan van den Berg is expected to matter up front. Street gets the official nod, but van den Berg is the player who figures to be on the field a lot and make the bigger impact. In practice, that spot can easily end up looking like van den Berg’s by the time games are being played.
That’s not a minor detail, either. Van den Berg made such a strong impression that the Bears traded Gervon Dexter.
Sr. He has a chance to be a real force if things break the right way.
There’s also more movement coming off the edge than the depth chart suggests. Odeyingbo is listed as a starter, but Austin Booker is going to get plenty of work too.
And Dennis Allen is expected to mix things up during games, including sliding Odeyingbo inside at times. Booker could wind up being the better pure pass rusher, but that doesn’t erase the value of what Odeyingbo can do in the middle for a few snaps.
Linebacker is another spot where the Bears believe they’ve improved. Devin Bush is in line to replace Tremaine Edmunds, and the view here is that this is not a downgrade.
Edmunds, over the last two seasons, was too often a step behind and too often exposed in coverage. Bush was brought in because he is quicker, more athletic, and less likely to get left behind on a play.
The secondary has a chance to be a strength, too, starting with Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson Sr. Johnson’s return to full health matters. Injuries dragged him down last season, but camp and preseason brought repeated praise from both Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen, who both said he looked much better as things wound down.
If Johnson is back to his 2023 level, the cornerback room immediately looks better than it did a year ago.
Stevenson quietly put together a strong 2025, allowing just one touchdown and finishing with a career-best opposing quarterback rating of 86.3. He had his share of mistakes, but he also forced the issue with double-digit pass breakups in every season so far. Now he enters a contract year, and the expectation is that the pressure of locking down his spot could help push him toward a career year.
At nickel, Cam Lewis is the starter on the depth chart, and that may already be an improvement over where the Bears were last season without Kyler Gordon. Gordon is not expected back, and the source material is blunt about that.
Malik Muhammad is the name expected to take over there eventually, and the fit is obvious. His length, physicality, and tenacity are all attractive traits for Dennis Allen’s defense.
If he stays healthy, the Bears should be better in that spot. C.J.
Gardner-Johnson was an important addition, but he was not part of the original plan and only started seven games in 2025.
Safety is the area with the most uncertainty, even if the upside is obvious. If Coby Bryant had not been hurt, the discussion would be different. Kevin Byard was excellent in 2025 and looked rejuvenated, but there were also takeaways that helped cover for the fact that he was often behind the play.
Jaquan Brisker never provided much stability, either in performance or health. He was a player who could flash and frustrate in the same breath.
That’s why Xavier Woods matters here. He looks like a dependable starter in Allen’s defense and brings a veteran presence to the spot Bryant was expected to fill.
Then there’s Dillon Thieneman, the rookie whose speed and athleticism stand out immediately compared with what the Bears had starting there last season. If he stays healthy, he should be an upgrade over both safeties from 2025.
So no, this defense is not Super Bowl-caliber. But it also isn’t the disaster some people made it out to be when they saw the first depth chart. The Bears may not be finished, and the chart may not show every wrinkle, but the overall unit is not worse than it was in 2025.
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