ESPN Analytics doesn’t seem to be buying into the Bears as NFC North favorites for 2026, and the numbers it’s putting out are raising eyebrows.
Chicago is coming off a season in which it entered 2026 with hopes of repeating as division champ, but ESPN’s predictive model has the Bears slotted third in the NFC North. Detroit is projected to finish first, while the more surprising twist is that Green Bay is ahead of Chicago as well.
A lot of the skepticism traces back to the Bears’ schedule. They’re facing the toughest slate in the NFL, with plenty of stretches packed with NFC North matchups and games against some of last year’s top teams. That kind of road is going to make life hard from the jump.
Detroit, meanwhile, is getting the kind of setup that makes projection models love them. The Lions have one of the easiest schedules in the league, and with the roster they’ve built, they’re expected to roll toward the playoffs unless injuries get in the way.
That injury piece matters, too, because Green Bay isn’t exactly operating at full strength. Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft are both recovering from serious injuries, which makes it harder to understand why the Packers would be favored over Chicago. The Packers also lost a lot of talent at wide receiver, and on paper the Bears look like the stronger team.
Chicago still has its own questions, especially along the defensive line and at cornerback. But the offense gives them a real chance. It has the pieces to finish in the top five, powered by one of the league’s best rushing attacks, a strong offensive line, and a quarterback who can pull off ridiculous throws from the pocket.
For Bears fans, the ESPN numbers are going to feel like another head-scratcher. For the team itself, though, it’s more fuel for a season in which they’ll again be cast as the underdogs and asked to prove people wrong.
In Other News...
This Overlooked Bears Rookie Could Shake Up Camp Faster Than Expected
Sam Roush is already the kind of rookie who can make a camp depth chart interesting before the pads even come on. The Bears signed the third-round pick and are bringing him into a tight end room that already has established names, but his profile is hard to ignore: a four-year starter at Stanford with real receiving volume and the kind of athletic testing that makes evaluators take a second look.
For Chicago, the appeal is less about a polished headline grab and more about whether Roush can force his way into the conversation faster than expected. If he translates that movement ability and college experience into consistent practice reps, he has a path to matter in a hurry, even if the bigger question is how soon the Bears can turn that upside into a defined role in the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Luther Burden Buzz Just Raised The Stakes In Bears Receiver Battle
Luther Burden III has gone from a promising rookie to one of the more intriguing names in Chicagos receiver room after flashing late in the 2025 season and carrying that momentum into offseason workouts. The buzz has only grown from there, with ESPN analyst Andrew Hawkins among those pointing to Burden as a potential breakout who could become a true No. 1 option for the Bears in 2026.
Rome Odunze still looms large in that conversation, though, and that is what makes this storyline so interesting for Chicago. The former first-round pick has yet to top 1,000 receiving yards and is trying to steady his trajectory after missing time with a foot injury, so the next season matters a lot for his development and for how the Bears sort out their pecking order at wide receiver. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Camp Battle Could Decide How Safe Caleb Williams Really Is
Training camp has put the Bears center spot right in the middle of the conversation, with veteran Garrett Bradbury and rookie Logan Jones competing for the job as the team gets its 2026 work started. Bradbury arrives with the kind of experience Chicago can trust after his most recent run with the New England Patriots, while Jones, taken 57th overall, brings the appeal of a longer-term answer at a position that tends to shape everything around it.
For Caleb Williams, the stakes are obvious even before the first depth chart settles in. The winner of this battle could influence how sturdy the interior looks, how much flexibility the Bears have up front, and how comfortable Williams feels when the pocket starts to tighten, which is why this is one of the quieter but more important camp storylines to watch. [Read more 🡒]