With the Bears season nearing, a handful of veterans are staring at a future that could end somewhere other than Chicago. Some are stopgaps, some are on one-year auditions, and some are simply in a spot where the team’s long-term plan may not include them.
D’Andre Swift is one of the most obvious names to watch. He’s in the final year of his deal after a strong season, but he also isn’t the kind of runner head coach Ben Johnson specifically targeted and signed.
That matters, because it suggests Chicago could find a cheaper back who can deliver similar production in Johnson’s scheme. If Swift keeps producing, he may be in line to cash in somewhere else.
Garrett Bradbury looks like a bridge at center, not a fixture. He brings plenty of experience, with 105 career starts, but he’s already on his third team in three years for a reason. The Bears are expected to lean on him while they get Logan Jones ready, then let Bradbury walk in free agency and turn the job over to Jones.
Braxton Jones is in a different kind of temporary situation. He signed a one-year deal in free agency to rebuild his standing, and he’ll open the year at left tackle while Ozzy Trapilo works back from injury.
Once Trapilo is healthy, Jones is expected to be the one squeezed out. That leaves him a short window to show what he can do, then use that performance to land a new deal elsewhere.
It would be surprising if he were back next season as a backup.
Tyrique Stevenson is another player whose fit with the team looks shaky. Chicago drafted him under Matt Eberflus, and while he had a solid rookie year, the Hail Mary loss to the Washington Commanders brought a mental mistake that has followed him.
He hasn’t been able to fully bounce back, and after the Bears limped to the finish of his second season and then changed coaches in year three, he now enters year four with something to prove. Even so, the more likely outcome is that he’s auditioning for other teams.
Dayo Odeyingbo is under contract through next year, but the money attached to that deal makes his future cloudy. His cap hit is over $26M, and a cut would free up $15.5M.
The Bears could still keep him if he has a strong season, but not at the current price. If he stays, it will be on a reworked contract.
If not, Chicago could move on.
In Other News...
Bears Suddenly Have A Running Back Depth Question Worth Watching
The Bears got a little breath of relief with the latest running back injury scares, because neither Kyle Monangai nor D'Andre Swift appears to be dealing with a long-term issue. Even so, it was enough to turn a position that had looked stable into one worth watching, especially for a team that leans on the ground game and cant afford to get thin behind its top two backs.
From there, the conversation naturally shifts to the practice-squad market, where several runners on other teams could be available if Chicago needs a quick layer of insurance. It is the kind of depth question that can fade in a hurry if the injured backs move along as expected, but it is also the sort of roster issue that front offices keep on the radar until they are sure it is gone. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Fans Know The Part Of Green Bay's QB Legacy Nobody Mentions
For more than a generation, the Bears have lived with the same familiar Green Bay storyline: Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers piling up regular-season wins while making life miserable in Chicago. Their combined 46-15 mark against the Bears is part of the franchise backdrop now, the kind of number that helps explain why so many Chicago fans can recite the Packers quarterback lineage without ever sounding impressed by it.
What gets less attention is how the postseason side of that legacy looks when the games get bigger and the margins get thinner. Favres playoff rsum includes some painful interception-heavy moments in key games, while Rodgers has generally protected the ball better even as his postseason exits have often been pinned on other factors. For Bears fans, the rivalry memory is not just about all those Sundays at Lambeau and Soldier Field. It is also about how two all-time quarterbacks carried very different kinds of weight when the season was on the line. [Read more 🡒]
These Bears Will Carry The Pressure Of Chicagos 2026 Hopes
The Bears have spent the summer sorting out which players are going to carry the heaviest load once the regular season begins, and the list is a familiar mix of established starters and young talents. Cole Kmet, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are all being asked to matter on offense, while Colston Loveland, Darnell Wright and Joe Thuney shape the line around them. On the other side, Montez Sweat and Jaylon Johnson remain central to the defense, and Dillon Thieneman is among the names drawing attention as the roster takes shape.
What makes this stretch so important is how much of the teams outlook depends on players handling expanded responsibilities while injuries continue to affect the overall picture. The Bears do not just need their top names to play well, they need them to steady a group that is still being sorted out in real time. For a team with Chicagos 2026 hopes hanging in the balance, the pressure is spread across multiple positions, and the coming weeks will show who can absorb it. [Read more 🡒]