The Bears head to Carolina for their 2026 opener Sunday, and even with the familiar optimism that comes with Week 1, there’s real pressure attached to several jobs on this roster right away.
That’s partly because the opponent isn’t a pushover. The Panthers are the defending NFC South champions and have enough talent across the field to make life uncomfortable for Chicago. It also doesn’t hurt that these two teams are linked by the 2023 trade that sent DJ Moore to Chicago and set the Bears up to land Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the next draft.
For a few Bears, though, the bigger story is simpler: they’re already running out of margin for error.
Braxton Jones is the clearest name at the top of the list. He’s holding the left tackle spot only until Ozzy Trapilo is ready, and that means every snap matters.
Jones has to stay healthy and play well enough to keep the job warm, because if he slips in either area, Chicago could be forced into another reset before Trapilo is prepared. Sunday is no soft landing, either.
The Bears are expected to see Panthers edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero likely steering him away from Darnell Wright and toward Chicago’s weaker tackle matchup.
Tyrique Stevenson is another player under the spotlight immediately. He’s in a contract year and is lined up as the starter opposite Jaylon Johnson almost by default, with rookie Malik Muhammad expected to get some work in the slot.
That leaves opponents hunting for production somewhere other than Johnson’s side, and Stevenson is the obvious place to test. That’s been true before, and it’s true again in Carolina.
Xavier Woods enters the season with a little less certainty around him than the Bears would like. The team lost Coby Bryant to injury, which forced an early scramble to find help at safety, and Woods’ connection with defensive backs coach Al Harris from their Dallas days made him the easy fit.
Woods also dealt with an injury in the preseason, but he was not listed on the first Week 1 injury report and seems set to play. Still, with a rookie beside him and shaky depth behind him, Chicago needs Woods to steady things fast.
Garrett Bradbury rounds out the group. The Bears moved quickly to trade for him after Drew Dalman retired in March, and at minimum he gives them an established, roughly average center who can help keep the line together.
But he isn’t the long-term answer; that’s why the Bears drafted Logan Jones. Bradbury could hold the job all season, or Jones could become a real threat sooner than expected.
If the Bears end up needing to switch centers in the middle of the year, that would create its own problems with continuity. And if Bradbury is the weak point while Chicago tries to set the tone in the run game on Sunday, the push for Jones will only get louder.
Week 1 always comes with noise. For these four Bears, it already comes with pressure.
In Other News...
Bears Pass Rush Hunt Could Force A Very Different Trade Pivot
The Bears search for help off the edge is already shaping up as one of the more important plots of the offseason, with Josh Sweat emerging as a preferred target if the market ever loosens enough for a deal. Chicago wants more pressure from the front, and the list of possible fits reaches well beyond one name, stretching to Kayvon Thibodeaux, Maxx Crosby and Alex Highsmith as the team weighs both impact and the reality of what each club might actually be willing to move.
Arizonas reluctance to part with Sweat is part of what could force a broader pivot, because the Bears may not get the clean path they want to the pass rusher they like most. If the asking prices stay high or the trade landscape shifts, Chicago could end up chasing multiple options before settling on the best available route, which is a reminder that the pursuit for help up front may be just as much about timing as talent. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Injuries Could Force An Unexpected Week 1 Role In The Passing Game
Injuries in the Bears receiver room are already shaping the Week 1 plan, with Kalif Raymond expected to have a meaningful role in the passing game when Chicago opens the season. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are both dealing with issues that could push the offense to lean more heavily on Raymond, even though he is not projected to enter the game as the starting wideout.
Raymond is a familiar face for Ben Johnson, who saw him produce effectively with the Detroit Lions, and that familiarity could make him one of the safer options in a first game that may require some improvisation. Chicago does have multiple receiving options, though, so the setup points more toward spreading the ball around than one player piling up a huge share of the production. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Secondary Crisis Just Put Malik Muhammad On The Spot
The Bears are heading into the opener with their secondary already under strain, and the ripple effect is putting more responsibility on a rookie than anyone probably expected this early. Coby Bryant is out long term, Xavier Woods is dealing with a groin injury, and the depth chart behind them has become a lot less stable as Chicago sorts through the rest of its roster questions.
Malik Muhammad is the name suddenly worth tracking. The rookie cornerback has flashed enough in preseason to earn some attention, and hes now listed as the teams second nickelback, which puts him in line for a bigger role if the Bears need help right away. For a defense trying to hold things together in the back end, Muhammad may not just be a developmental piece anymore. [Read more 🡒]