NFL execs, coaches, scouts, correctly identified the elite foundational players on the Bears roster going into the 2026 season
The Chicago Bears earned a lot of respect during the 2025-26 season and four players head into the 2026 season as Top-10 players at their positions in the eyes of those inside the NFL.
The Chicago Bears earned a lot of respect around the NFL during the 2025-26 season and those inside the league are finally taking notice of some of the elite talent the Bears are building around as foundational players.
Jeremy Fowler’s full Top-10 rankings at each position have been revealed, a list voted on by NFL executives, coaches, and scouts going into the 2026 season. The Bears had four total players that earned Top-10 spots at their positions with three players earned honorable mentions.
To me, it’s clear those four players are the elite foundational players that head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles will be building the rest of this roster around.
Chicago Bears elite-caliber players were correctly identified
The four Bears players who landed Top-10 spots at their respective positions were QB Caleb Williams (No. 10), TE Colston Loveland (No. 7), OT Darnell Wright (No. 6), and IOL Joe Thuney (No. 5). You can debate those rankings as much as you want, but these four are without a doubt the top four elite players on this roster going into the 2026 season.
CB Jaylon Johnson, S Coby Bryant, and TE Cole Kmet were the three players that earned honorable mentions and can safely be lumped into that group as well. Four other players also received votes as Top-10 players at their positions in RB D’Andre Swift, RG Jonah Jackson, LB T.J. Edwards, and DE Montez Sweat to round out the list of Chicago’s top players in the eyes of the NFL.
I think the NFL got it right when it comes to who the top players are on this roster going into the 2026, and again you can debate their individual rankings as much as you want. But, there’s no doubt that these are the best players on the team.
The future of the Chicago Bears is in good hands
The key part for the Bears is that they have four foundational players all locked up through 2027 that are viewed as top players at their positions. That’s an encouraging sign from a long-term team-building perspective and shows the Bears are finally on the right track in that regard and why this team is finally in the Super Bowl conversation.
After the 2026 season, there’s even a clear path for all four of those players to be ranked even higher as well, plus we could see guys such as WR Luther Burden III, S Dillon Thieneman, or WR Rome Odunze earn votes if they can take that next jump.
The Bears have a strong core of players in place for years to come and the rest of the league is aware of that. Now, it’s all about using that core and the rest of the 53-man roster to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl.