Chicago Bears 2026 Preview

WRITTEN BY: MIKE JOHNSON (@MJOHNSON_86)

Coaching/Philosophy/Scheme Changes ::

• Offense: Ben Johnson returns for his second season in control of the Bears organization and looks to take the Bears offense to new heights.
• Defense: Dennis Allen had an impressive opening season as the Bears defensive coordinator and returns for a second year.

Personnel Changes ::

• Caleb Williams returns for his third season as the Bears starting QB after an exciting sophomore season in Ben Johnson’s system. A year of familiarity and growth should
• The Bears, somewhat surprisingly, did not make any major moves in their backfield this offseason. Talented and versatile veteran RB D’Andre Swift returns to lead their backfield and second year RB Kyle Monangai should once again be involved on early downs and near the goal line.
• The Bears traded veteran WR DJ Moore to the Bills in March, leaving the talented duo of Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III as their top perimeter options.
• Undrafted second year receiver Jahdae Walker has solid chemistry and trust with Caleb Williams, which gives him an inside track to the third receiver role.
• Chicago added WR/KR Kalif Raymond, who has familiarity with Johnson’s scheme from his time in Detroit, to improve their return game and give them receiving depth. They also drafted Zavion Thomas out of LSU in the third round. Thomas has blazing speed and a unique skill set similar to Raymond’s in terms of return ability and potential for schemed usage.
• Colston Loveland was slow out of the gates in 2025 after recovering from shoulder surgery most of the offseason, but was absolutely dominant down the stretch and is in the conversation among top tight ends in the league.
• Veteran TE Cole Kmet will still be involved, while rookie Sam Housh was selected in the third round and is likely to be involved at some point this season.

Schedule ::

• Divisional Games (6)::
  • GB x2, DET x2, MIN x2
• NFC South (4)::
  • @ ATL, @ CAR, vs. TB, vs. NO
• AFC East (4)::
  • @ BUF, @ MIA, vs. NE, vs. NYJ
• vs. PHI, vs. JAX, @ SEA

Bull Case ::

The Bears had an extremely impressive 2025 season in their first year under Ben Johnson as the benefits of disciplined coaching and strong game planning were on full display. One of the “critiques” for the Bears last season was that they were winning “in spite of” their passing game (actually a direct quote from Johnson at one point), rather than because of it. However, the argument can easily be made that this bodes well for their long-term outlook and potential to take another step in 2026. Chicago’s game plan after their Week 5 bye was to establish a strong running game, control the clock, and limit turnovers. They accomplished those things and their offensive line emerged as one of the stronger units in the league as the season progressed. The Bears further bolstered their offensive line personnel this offseason and with their scheme having a year to spread its roots, they are in position to have a very efficient running game as the backbone of their offense. In addition, their strong trio of tight ends along with their moves at wide receiver seem to indicate a likely shift towards heavier personnel in 2026.

A lot of their running game success in 2026 was dependent on volume and tempo, but this year they could see a spike in running game efficiency that would turbo charge their passing game. As QB Caleb Williams continues to grow under the tutelage of Johnson, we could truly see him take his game to new levels. The argument can be made that the Bears have the best trio of young receiving options in the game with wide receivers Rome Odunze (24 when the season kicks off) and Luther Burden III (22) alongside dynamic TE Colston Loveland (22). Williams has always had elite playmaking and scrambling ability, but is now learning to also play within structure, make pre-snap reads, and play with timing and anticipation. The marriage of his skill set and Johnson’s scheme could be a match made in heaven when you consider the likely efficient running game and dynamic weapons at his disposal. When an offense has a head coach who is so aggressive on fourth down like Johnson, while having so many different ways of creating positive yardage it will make getting off the field very difficult for opposing defenses.