5 bold predictions for the Chicago Bears’ defense, including strong showings from the rookies and the team’s new LB
The Chicago Bears have a lot of questions on the defensive side of the ball and will be relying on a lot of newcomers to turn this unit around in 2026. Let’s boldly predict how some of those players could look this upcoming season.
After giving our bold predictions for the offensive side of the ball for the Chicago Bears, it’s time to turn the attention to the defensive side of the ball where a ton of newcomers are stepping in as key contributors for Dennis Allen’s unit.
There are justifiably a lot of questions surrounding this defense. The Bears elected not to address the defensive end position all offseason long (so far) and the biggest addition the team made is going to be out until December at the earliest in safety Coby Bryant.
Yet, the Bears remain confident in the pieces they have, including how the other new additions will fit together as the season goes on. So, let’s boldly predict how those new faces and the rest of the defense could look in 2026.
Dillon Thieneman leads the team, and all rookie defenders, in interceptions
First-round safety Dillon Thieneman heads into his rookie year with high expectations following the injury to Bryant. He still has some veterans next to him in cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safeties Xavier Woods, Cam Lewis and Elijah Hicks, but the Bears are going to be asking a lot out of the rookie.
Thieneman was thrown headfirst into the fire during training camp and was getting picked on by Colston Loveland for a large portion of camp. By the end of camp, though, Thieneman started stacking some strong days and he’ll be better for it once other teams think they can pick on him the same way.
By the end of the season, I see Thieneman leading the team in interceptions and leading all rookie defenders. It’s a high bar, but his closing speed mixed with getting a lot of attention from opposing quarterbacks and the coaching from Al Harris makes this a perfect storm to where I don’t even consider this that bold.
Jordan van den Berg records 5.0 sacks as a rookie
Now we’re going to start getting a little bold. The Bears are very very excited about sixth-round defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg to the point that the team shipped out former second-round pick Gervon Dexter Sr. to open the runway for the rookie to contribute early this season.
van den Berg was already lapping Dexter in practice and during preseason action with his explosiveness and effort being high traits this coaching staff was looking to see. It is however worth noting that van den Berg is still raw as a player and one thing the coaches are aiming to accomplish next is refining his finishing moves to create production.
As coachable as he’s been so far, I see it coming together for him pretty quickly. To the point that I’m predicting the rookie has 5.0 sacks, which would make him the first Bears rookie defensive tackle to do that since William Perry in 1985.
Kyler Gordon doesn’t play another game with the Bears (bonus if he gets traded)
The Bears moved nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon to the reserve PUP during roster cutdowns, meaning he cannot play for the first four weeks of the season and cannot practice for the first two weeks of the season.
This entire situation has gotten weird to this point and I don’t see how it can be salvaged unless Gordon is back to practice after the first two weeks and starts to regain some trust with the coaching staff. I hope it happens because we all know the kind of player he can be.
But, the way the organization has talked publicly about Gordon, I don’t see this ending well. So, I predict Gordon will never play another game with the Bears and could even be traded before the deadline if the coaches really are that done with him.
Devin Bush sets a career-high with 130+ tackles
Another strong statistical performance from another newcomer on defense. I am really high on linebacker Devin Bush and what he can add to the second level of this defense after replacing Tremaine Edmunds.
Bush is the perfect fit for this defense that wants to attack downhill with speed and violence. He showed the ability to be a big-play guy last season in coverage with the Cleveland Browns and I think this is the year he breaks out as a tackle machine.
Allen’s defense is structured to have the linebackers be the cleanup team with the defensive line simply holding the point of attack. Bush’s speed and reaction ability will pair perfectly with that scheme to the point I see him dropping 130+ tackles for the first time in his NFL career.
Chicago Bears’ defense posts not one, but two, shutouts in the regular season
Now this is the bold of the bold when it comes to my defensive predictions, but let me explain. Ben Johnson had big expectations for his offense targeting the all-time points per game record, but he also said he wants to see more shutouts on defense as well.
That’s gotta be a big talking point inside the building going into the regular season and I see two games where it could happen. Week 4 against the New York Jets at Soldier Field facing a Geno Smith-led offense and Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons facing an offense that doesn’t even know who their starting quarterback is with a week to go until Atlanta’s season opener.
For historical context, the last time the Bears’ defense posted a shutout was in 2010 against the Miami Dolphins. The last time the Bears had two shutouts in the same season was in 2001 against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Detroit Lions (Bears finished that season 13-3 and lost in the Divisional Round).
