Jordan van den Berg is wasting no time making the Bears look smart.
Chicago took the Georgia Tech defensive tackle in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft after a quiet free agency, hoping they’d landed a sleeper who could help fix a thin defensive line. Two preseason games in, that bet is looking awfully good.
Van den Berg followed up a solid debut against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, when he posted one tackle and one quarterback hit, with an even louder showing in the Bears’ 27-9 preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. This time, he piled up three tackles, including two solo stops, and spent plenty of the night causing problems for Cincinnati up front.
That kind of disruption is exactly what Chicago had reason to believe it was getting. Van den Berg was one of the ACC leaders in tackles for loss last season with 11, and the early NFL tape is showing the same traits: strength, penetration and a knack for getting into the backfield.
The Bears came into the offseason needing help on the defensive line, with Gervon Dexter Sr. the only reliable tackle for the moment. They were also looking ahead to a possible future without Grady Jarrett as a top answer inside, especially after giving him nearly $50 million on a three-year deal last offseason. Chicago tried to patch the position with multiple cheap veteran signings, but van den Berg is already making those additions look shaky.
The box score won’t always tell the whole story with him. What stands out is the way he disrupts plays and forces offenses to account for him. He may not rack up gaudy numbers every week, but the impact is obvious when you watch him work.
For a team that hasn’t had much success finding defensive rookies in recent drafts, this class is starting to look different. First-round pick Dillon Thieneman has the kind of upside that could make him a standout at safety, and van den Berg is making a strong case to be the hidden gem of the group.
His exact role for 2026 still isn’t settled, but he’s pushing hard for a place in the rotation. And if Grady keeps declining, van den Berg could be in line to step into a starting job sooner than many expected.
For now, the Bears have to like what they’re seeing. Van den Berg is filling a need, flashing the disruptive traits they wanted, and giving Ryan Poles a strong early win on the defensive line.
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