Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles took a strategic approach to the team’s offseason going into the second season under head coach Ben Johnson and opted not to swing for the fences with the perceived Super Bowl window wide open.

In reality, the Bears made smart and logical decisions that prioritize the short and long-term health of the roster while also having to navigate through difficult situations, such as the sudden retirement of their 27-year-old Pro Bowl center.

Still, it wasn’t the start to the offseason many fans hoped to see. They expected fireworks and instead got sparklers. Time will tell if improvement was actually made to this roster, but let’s go ahead and see how the 53-man roster could shake out based on the team’s current 66 players.

Chicago Bears 2026 way-to-early 53-man roster projection

Quarterback (3)

In: Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
Out: N/A

Skinny: No changes to the quarterback room from 2025. Caleb Williams is nearing his Pro Bowl level going into Year 3 and ready to make his first significant jump. After a few days of trade rumors, the QB-needy teams dried up allowing the Bears to hang onto Tyson Bagent for the time being. And the veteran returns with Case Keenum signing a new two-year deal to remain on the roster in Chicago.

Running back (3)

In: D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Brittain Brown
Out: Roschon Johnson and Deion Hankins

Skinny: There were whispers that the Bears would look to upgrade the backfield and improve from D’Andre Swift in the RB1 spot. Again, no viable options presented itself and the Bears still have one year on Swift’s deal to ride out. The RB3 spot still could use a new face but for the time being I’m taking Brittain Brown over Roschon Johnson, who was a non-factor in 2025.

Wide Receiver (5)

In: Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Jahdae Walker, Kalif Raymond, and Maurice Alexander
Out: JP Richardson

Skinny: This position will be the real question for Chicago. Is this room actually better without DJ Moore? Rome Odunze had a nagging foot injury that derailed his second season and some drop issues. Luther Burden III showed real promise and will quickly emerge as the top wideout for this team. I loved the addition of Kalif Raymond and what he will bring to the entire team. Again, this isn’t the strongest group and the Bears could benefit from another addition at this position.

Tight End (3)

In: Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, and Nikola Kalinic
Out: Stephen Carlson, Qadir Ismail

Skinny: The Bears are running it back with the Loveland-Kmet duo at the tight end position despite plenty of talk about Kmet’s contract and 2026 cap hit. The lone loss to the room was Durham Smythe, who played a decent role as the blocking tight end. For now, I’m promoting Nikola Kalinic to that role and foresee him getting plenty more snaps on special teams, barring another addition.

Offensive Tackles (5*)

In: Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, Jedrick Wills, and Ozzy Trapilo (IR)
Out: Kiran Amegadjie

Skinny: Chicago added some competition to the left tackle position instead of adding a true defined starter for the 2026 season while Ozzy Trapilo recovers from his patellar tendon injury. Braxton Jones was re-signed for a fifth season and will compete against Theo Benedet and former 10th overall pick Jedrick Wills. Kiran Amegadjie has always looked like the odd man out and the Bears finally move on.

Interior Offensive Line (5)

In: Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, Garrett Bradbury, Luke Newman, Jordan McFadden
Out: Kyle Hergel

Skinny: The interior of Chicago’s offensive front was stellar last season but will see one new face with Garrett Bradbury replacing Drew Dalman. Bradbury is coming off a Super Bowl season with New England and has history playing beside Joe Thuney. This is still a really strong group, even if the loss of Dalman hurts things long-term.

Defensive End (6)

In: Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo, Shemar Turner, Daniel Hardy, and Jamree Kromah
Out: N/A

Skinny: This group isn’t inspiring at all. Montez Sweat has the ability to be a top edge rusher if he can put it together and the Bears are really high on the jump Austin Booker can make. Behind those two, you have a motivated Dayo Odeyingbo and 2025 second-round pick Shemar Turner, who are both coming off season-ending injuries. Daniel Hardy also will be a lock as a special teams ace. We should expect to see a Top-100 draft pick join this room in April to replace Kromah.

Interior Defensive Line (4)

In: Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter, Neville Gallimore, and Kentavius Street
Out: Jeremiah Martin and Jonathan Garvin

Skinny: Instead of adding an edge rusher in free agency, the Bears retooled the interior depth by signing Neville Gallimore and Kentavius Street to replace Andrew Billings and Chris Williams. Again, not the most inspiring moves, but the Bears recognized the interior group in the draft wasn’t as deep as the free agent options, so I can’t fault the reasoning there. Perhaps another high draft pick joins this room and pushes out another player elsewhere.

Linebacker (5)

In: Devin Bush, T.J. Edwards, D’Marco Jackson, Ruben Hyppolite II, and Noah Sewell
Out: Dominique Hampton, and Nephi Sewell

Skinny: Devin Bush comes in as the starting replacement for Tremaine Edmunds and will bring a lot more speed next to T.J. Edwards, who is also coming off a late season-ending injury. Which is why the Bears prioritized re-signing D’Marco Jackson before free agency opened. The tough call is whether or not Ruben Hyppolite II, the team’s 2025 fourth-round pick, and/or Noah Sewell make the cut.

Cornerback (7)

In: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Zah Frazier, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones, and Terell Smith
Out: Dontae Manning, and Dallis Flowers

Skinny: The only departure to this position was Pro Bowl alternate Nahshon Wright, who was widely expected to walk after a resurgent season. Chicago will be hoping for better health from Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon in 2026 with the other outside position up for grabs between Tyrique Stevenson, Zah Frazier, and Terell Smith.

Safety (4)

In: Coby Bryant, Cam Lewis, Elijah Hicks and Gervarrius Owens
Out: N/A

Skinny: For the time being, we’re keeping all four safeties. There’s still a starting spot available next to Coby Bryant that is expected to be filled in the draft. As for depth, the Bears added a versatile player in Cam Lewis and brought back Elijah Hicks. Once April is over, this position will look a lot stronger than it currently does on paper.

Specialists (3)

In: Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor (P), Luke Elkin (LS)
Out: N/A

Skinny: No change here outside of Luke Elkin taking the place of veteran long snapper Scott Daly. The Bears could bring Daly back as a camp body and make that position more of a competition again.

Chicago Bears News

Bears Post-Free Agency 7-Round 2026 Mock Draft: Chicago has clear positions to target in April after a modest spending spree

The Chicago Bears are banking heavily on the draft class to get the team over the hump.

Kole Noble