The Chicago Bears may have outperformed expectations in 2025, but the pressure only ramps up from here. In 2026, they’re expected to push even harder toward a Super Bowl-level ceiling, and while the roster has plenty of young talent, it still looks like it needs one or two more pieces before anyone can call it complete.
The starters give the Bears a strong foundation. The real swing factor might be what happens behind them.
On this team, the bench isn’t just depth - it could end up shaping how far Chicago goes. Four backups stand out as players who could swing the season in a big way.
Austin Booker is first on that list. He might wind up starting, but if Dayo Odeyingbo is healthy, Booker is likely to open the year coming off the bench.
That doesn’t make him any less important. He posted 4.5 sacks in 10 games last season, and with Odeyingbo off to a rough start in Chicago, the Bears could lean harder on Booker in the pass rush and hope a Year 3 breakout is coming.
Cole Kmet is in a different spot, but his importance is still obvious. Colston Loveland is now the headliner in the passing game, which has pushed Kmet into a backup role.
Even so, Kmet showed what he can still provide when he caught the game-tying touchdown in the NFC Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams. If Loveland goes down, Kmet is the tight end the Bears would need to lean on.
And with head coach Ben Johnson finally sorting out how to use the tight ends this offseason, Kmet should be in line for better production in 2026.
Neville Gallimore brings a different kind of value. The Bears’ interior defensive line was shaky last season outside of Gervon Dexter Sr., and Grady Jarrett did not deliver on his $43.5 million contract.
That’s part of why Chicago brought in Gallimore, one of three defensive tackles added in free agency. He’s also the only one who received a two-year deal, which puts more pressure on him to become a dependable rotational piece.
Then there’s Zavion Thomas, the wild card. It’s still unclear how much of an offensive role he’ll have in 2026, but OTAs made it hard to ignore him.
His 4.28-second speed gives the Bears something different, and Johnson has used him both as a receiver and a running back. Thomas will also matter on special teams as a returner, but he could end up being more than that if the Bears decide to unleash him on offense.
In Other News...
Bears May Have Quietly Fixed A Position That Kept Burning Them
The Bears spent the offseason trying to quiet a problem spot that never seemed to stay solved, and the work started at safety. Chicago moved on from the old pairing and turned to a new look built around Coby Bryant, who arrived on a three-year deal and is already drawing the kind of buzz that suggests the front office believes it found an upgrade. Alongside him is rookie Dillon Thieneman, a younger bet with the kind of long-term upside the Bears have been missing back there.
What makes the change so notable is how much turnover it reflects. Kevin Byard came in on a short-term pact after an All-Pro season that some around the league viewed with skepticism, while Jaquan Briskers stint was derailed by injuries and uneven play. Now the Bears are asking Bryant to stabilize the present and Thieneman to grow into a bigger role, leaving one of the defenses most frustrating positions suddenly looking like it might finally have a plan. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Just Got Another Reason To Worry About Left Tackle
An injury to Ozzy Trapilo has shifted the Bears left tackle picture again, and now the focus is back on Theo Benedet and Braxton Jones as training camp approaches. Benedet enters the competition as an undrafted player who has already started eight NFL games, while Jones brings the more established rsum and the kind of experience that usually matters most when a line spot is up for grabs.
Benedet at least has a lane to make this interesting, which is more than most depth linemen get this time of year. Jones still looks like the favorite, but the Bears need stability on the edge and the job is now set up as a real camp battle, with Benedet trying to turn his opportunity into something more than a temporary mention on the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]