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Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
The Chicago Bears have made it through the most important roster-building periods of the 2026 NFL offseason, having signed the bulk of their free agents and made their seven rookie selections in last month’s 2026 NFL draft.
Now comes the competition, which will begin later this month when the Bears officially kick off their organized team activities (OTAs) with six voluntary practices that run May 27-29 and June 2-4. They will also hold a three-day mandatory veteran minicamp from June 9-11, marking their last on-field workouts as a team until training camp in July.
The Bears already completed their first on-field evaluation period of spring workouts last weekend when they hosted 54 players for their two-day mandatory minicamp at Halas Hall. The group included seven 2026 draft picks, 13 undrafted rookie signings, five Bears first-year pros, 24 rookie tryout players and five veteran tryout players.
The Bears also signed four of their tryout players, including wide receiver Scotty Miller and Kyron Hudson and linebackers Jon Rhattigan and Wayne Matthews III (rookie).
With OTAs coming up at the end of the month, here is an early projection of how the Bears’ initial 53-man roster could turn out heading into the 2026 regular season.
GettyBears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Not much debate here. Williams is the clear starter, while Bagent is in line to start the season as the top backup for a third consecutive season. The Bears liked the mentorship that Keenum brought in 2025 so much that they signed him to a two-year extension in the offseason, likely locking him into place for a roster spot as their No. 3 quarterback.
Unless a team makes an unexpectedly strong trade push for Bagent before the season, these are almost certainly the three quarterbacks who will dot the Bears’ roster in 2026. Miller Moss — a UDFA signing and Williams’ former USC teammate — could step into the void if Bagent is traded, but he is mostly bound for the QB4 practice-squad role.
The Bears have a clear one-two punch in Swift and Monangai, but the rest of the room is debatable at this stage in the offseason. Johnson seemed to have good upside over his first two seasons with the Bears, but he has gradually fallen out of favor with the team and routinely dealt with injury issues. Meanwhile, Brown played a solid complementary role in Johnson’s place in 2025 when the Bears called him up from the practice squad.
Right now, the third spot seems like it will come down to either Johnson or Brown, but don’t be surprised if the Bears add another reasonably priced veteran — Austin Ekeler, perhaps — to the mix before the start of training camp to improve competition. A run-heavy offense like the one that Chicago runs might also prefer to keep four running backs on its roster, which could open the door for UDFA Coleman Bennett, too.
For now, the projection is three running backs, with Johnson retaining a slight edge.
GettyBears wide receiver Luther Burden III.
The Bears might have six straightforward choices for their receiving room in 2026 after signing Miller as a veteran free agent on the final day of their rookie minicamp. Odunze and Burden are the clear starters, while Walker — who made the roster as an undrafted rookie in 2025 — and Raymond should supply the bulk of the rotational reps. Thomas, a third-round rookie, could need time before the Bears deploy him regularly within the offense, but his Day 2 selection almost guarantees him a place on the 53-man roster.
Miller and the No. 6 spot are the only big questions. Miller has speed and the upside to contribute in special teams, but he has played fewer than 400 offensive snaps in all but one of his seven NFL seasons and could lose his roster spot if another young riser in Chicago — maybe undrafted rookie Omari Kelly — outplays him in camp. The Bears could also keep just five wide receivers to clear a spot for a fourth running back.
Few things to debate about what might be one of the strongest tight end rooms in the NFL. While trade rumors about Kmet have floated around throughout the offseason, the Bears have shown no signs of wanting to move on from their $50 million veteran before the 2026 season. Roush’s Day 2 selection also locks him into place as the No. 3 tight end, one who will primarily fill a blocker role but has some pass-catching upside.
Short of an availability issue emerging, these are the three for the Bears in 2026.
PUP list: Ozzy Trapilo
GettyBears All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney.
The Bears had some offensive line questions to answer in the offseason after losing Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman to an early retirement and Trapilo to a major knee injury in the playoffs that threatens his availability for the 2026 season. They hardly sat on their hands waiting for answers, either, trading for Bradbury, investing a second-round pick into Jones and signing one-year contracts with two veteran tackles (Jones and Wills).
In large part, the Bears’ roster moves provided clarity about how the room will look for the start of the 2026 season. Assuming that Trapilo begins the season on the PUP list, Jones and Wills should both make the roster regardless of which opens the season as their starting left tackle. Benedet is the current favorite to slot in as the fourth tackle, but UDFA Caden Barnett has caught Ben Johnson’s eye and could push him out.
As for the interior, Bradbury and Jones are the two centers, while Newman (a 2025 sixth-round pick who saw snaps as a rookie) and Jordan McFadden (started at left guard in the playoffs) project best as the backup guards behind Thuney and Jackson.
The most significant move that the Bears made at defensive end in the offseason was signing Hardy, a special teams contributor, to a two-year contract extension. Otherwise, they are poised to run things back with the same personnel as 2025 in hopes that better health and a full season of experience in the system can make the unit much improved.
While a veteran signing could shake things up, the projections are fairly simple heading into OTAs. The Bears are reloading with optimism that Odeyingbo, Booker and Turner will all take steps forward in their second seasons in Allen’s system, while Hardy should make the roster by virtue of his special teams play — which earned him his extension.
GettyBears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr.
The Bears did not make the high-end changes to their defensive interior that many fans had hoped for during the offseason, but they did change out their veteran depth at the position, signing Gallimore and Street to replace Andrew Billings and Chris Williams. They also packaged both of their seventh-round picks in the 2026 draft to move up into the sixth round and select van den Berg, who checked in at 18th on The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s “College football Freaks List 2025” due to his immense strength and agility.
The jury won’t return a verdict for some time on whether the Bears’ interior strategy will work out in 2026, but the projections are uncomplicated at this stage. Dexter and Jarrett return as the primary starters, while Gallimore and van den Berg will likely fill out the primary rotational roles. Street should also make the team, but Jonathan Garvin has a chance to bump him from his spot. The Bears will also likely supplement the unit with their edge rushers, as Odeyingbo and Turner are both capable of working inside.
There are legitimate questions about how the Bears’ linebacker room will fare during the 2026 season. Can Edwards stay healthy after an injury-marred 2025? Will Bush, a former first-round pick, prove to be an upgrade over cap casualty Tremaine Edmunds? How much of a role will Jackson play after a standout effort for the defense in 2025?
Regardless of what the answers might be, though, the personnel is what it is. Jackson, Bush and Edwards are the top linebackers, while Sanborn (who re-signed in March after spending 2025 with Dallas) and Elliott (a fifth-round rookie) round out the depth at the position. Ruben Hyppolite II and Noah Sewell are also still in the mix, but neither one was particularly impressive in 2025, making them both long shots for roster spots.
GettyBears cornerbacks Kyler Gordon, left, and Jaylon Johnson.
The Bears did not bring back Nahshon Wright after his 2025 Pro Bowl season, but his departure is not as significant as it might seem, given that Chicago will have back its top two starters — Johnson and Gordon — after both missed most of the 2025 season. The team’s biggest priority at cornerback is figuring out who will start opposite Johnson on the outside, with Stevenson, Smith and the fifth-round rookie Muhammad in the mix.
As far as roster projections go, though, things seem relatively straightforward coming out of rookie minicamp. Stevenson and Muhammad are near locks to make the team as the primary competition for the boundary job. Smith has also looked promising in his previous (and limited) opportunities in 2023 and 2024, but he has a larger mountain to climb after missing all of 2025 with a season-ending injury after early buzz in camp.
Meanwhile, Josh Blackwell is their backup slot defender and has played nearly 1,000 special teams snaps over the past four seasons with the Bears, which should earn him the sixth spot in the rotation now that Zah Frazier is no longer in the picture.
Hicks is the only returning name on the list for the Bears, who significantly overhauled the safety position in the offseason. Gone are 2025 starters Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker, but the Bears have clear replacements in Bryant — a $40 million free-agent signing — and first-round rookie Dillon Thieneman for the 2026 season. Lewis brings 76 games of experience to the depth chart behind them as the No. 3 replacement for Jonathan Owens, while Hicks remains a core special teamer (934 snaps since 2022).
One player to keep an eye out for during spring workouts is undrafted rookie Skyler Thomas, who has an outside chance to push Hicks if he can improve his tackling.
GettyBears placekicker Cairo Santos, right, and punter Tory Taylor.
The placekicker and punter are locked into place, as neither Santos nor Taylor currently has a challenger on the 90-man roster. The only job up for grabs is long snapper, with Gardner and Luke Elkin — a 2025 UDFA signing — in the mix for the 2026 role. Right now, Gardner is the more enticing of the two after winning the Patrick Mannelly Award (named after the longtime Bear and given to the nation’s top long snapper) in 2025.
Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson
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