ESPN’s post-draft power rankings show tons of love for the Bears, despite having Chicago ranked behind a division rival
The Chicago Bears have finally earned some national recognition heading into the 2026 season after being ranked as a Top-10 team in the league according to ESPN’s post-draft power rankings.
The Chicago Bears are finally starting to create some believers out of the national media following the first season under head coach Ben Johnson and for good reason.
The Bears proved to be one of the league’s most exciting teams during their 11-win season that included an NFC North title and a strong run in the NFC playoffs. With Johnson on the sidelines and quarterback Caleb Williams at the helm on the field, people are expecting big things out of the Bears in 2026.
Chicago Bears ranked Top-10 in ESPN’s post-draft power rankings
On Tuesday, ESPN’s NFL Nation released the first post-draft power rankings showcasing how all 32 teams rank following all of the new additions made this offseason. Chicago cracked into the Top-10 in the post-draft rankings for the first time in years coming in at ninth, two spots higher than the previous way-to-early rankings.
It goes to show that the national media doesn’t see Chicago’s 2025 success as a fluke and something the Bears could sustain this upcoming season, even with a first-place schedule.
However, there was one issue I took with ESPN’s list. The Green Bay Packers came in at seventh on the rankings as the highest-ranked NFC North team. To me, I feel like the Bears and Packers should be around the same ranking but I don’t see how the Packers could possibly be above Chicago after the work they attempted this offseason. And rival NFL executives feel the same way based on what Mike Sando of The Athletic shared.
“They are treading water in a division where Chicago has gotten better, Minnesota could be better with improved quarterback play and Detroit is still a physical team,” one exec said about the Packers.
Another exec even said he was “a little worried” about the Packers this upcoming season. Yet, ESPN feels differently and likely banking their rankings on the returning players the Packers have coming back from injury such as Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft.
If I were to rank things. I would move the San Francisco 49ers up to seventh and the Bears up to eighth with the Packers ninth. That seems far enough to me based on how this offseason unfolded and the expectations for those three teams in 2026.
Regardless, Top-10 is still a great spot to be in and proves Chicago is on the upswing. Seeing Green Bay higher on the list also gives Chicago some bulletin board material as they look to repeat as NFC North champs for the first time since 2005-06.