Scouting the Bears’ post-draft depth chart: Familiar faces and a handful of offseason additions

The NFL draft has come and gone. The latest stage of the NFL offseason is over as teams continue to progress through their programs.

The Chicago Bears continued to bolster their roster. Bears general manager Ryan Poles added seven players over three days of the draft and added more with undrafted free-agent signings.

Poles addressed some needs and added speed. He brought in a versatile playmaker in safety Dillon Thieneman in the first round and added other playmakers who could complement the talent the Bears already have.

The 2026 roster is nearly complete. The Bears could make another free-agent addition or two before the season begins, but for the most part, this is what the team will look like Week 1.

Here’s a look at the Bears’ post-draft depth chart as of May 1.

Quarterback

Starter: Caleb Williams

Backups: Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum, Miller Moss

This group seems to be the most ready for the start of the season. It will be interesting to see whether Moss can create some competition among the backups.

Running back

Starter: D’Andre Swift

Backups: Kyle Monangai, Roschon Johnson, Brittain Brown, Deion Hankins, Coleman Bennett

Chicago didn’t use a draft pick on a running back this year. Instead, they’ll go with their two-headed monster of Swift and Monangai. Roschon Johnson enters a big offseason as he’ll try to prove that he can be productive and stay healthy. Brown, Hankins and Bennett will battle it out as depth pieces.

Wide receiver

Starters: Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond

Backups: Jahdae Walker, Zavion Thomas, JP Richardson, Maurice Alexander, Omari Kelly, Squirrel White

Odunze and Burden became the go-to guys after the Bears traded DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills this offseason. They’ll need Odunze to play up to his potential after some injury and drop issues. Burden will need to take another step forward after an impressive rookie year. Raymond has experience with Bears coach Ben Johnson, which should give him a leg up for that No. 3 wide receiver spot. Walker and Thomas will continue to develop over the coming months and prove what they can do in the offense.

Tight end

Starter: Colston Loveland

Backups: Cole Kmet, Sam Roush, Stephen Carlson, Nikola Kalinic, Qadir Ismail, Hayden Large

The Bears will try to replicate the success the tight end combo of Loveland and Kmet had last season, especially toward the end and in the playoffs. Roush, whom the Bears selected in the third round, will take over Durham Smythe’s role from last season as the third blocking tight end and special teamer. It will be an important role when Ben Johnson uses 13 personnel.

Offensive line

Starters: Braxton Jones (LT), Joe Thuney (LG), Garrett Bradbury (C), Jonah Jackson (RG), Darnell Wright (RT)

Backups: Ozzy Trapilo (injured) (LT), Jedrick Wills Jr. (LT), Kiran Amegadjie (LT), Jordan McFadden (LG), Kyle Hergel (LG), Logan Jones (C), Jaren Kump (C), Luke Newman (RG), Caden Barnett (RG), Theo Benedet (RT), Mason Murphy (RT)

Poles used his second-round pick on Logan Jones. But Bradbury should begin as the starter at center and hold onto it unless Logan Jones makes Bears coaches think otherwise during the offseason and training camp. The Bears didn’t address left tackle in the draft, leaving a wide-open competition among Braxton Jones, Benedet, Wills and Amegadjie. Benedet replaced Braxton Jones after four games last season, but the Bears are interested to see what Braxton Jones looks like while healthy. It will be interesting to see how Wills looks after not playing last season.

Defensive line

Starters: Montez Sweat (DE), Gervon Dexter (DT), Grady Jarrett (DT), Austin Booker (DE)

Backups: Shemar Turner (DE), Daniel Hardy (DE), Jamree Kromah (DE), Jeremiah Martin (DE), Neville Gallimore (DT), James Lynch (DT), Jayden Loving (DT), Kentavius Street (DT), Jordan van den Berg (DT), Dayo Odeyingbo (DE), Jonathan Garvin (DE)

The Bears didn’t make a major investment in free agency or the draft to address the defensive line issues and will instead rely on the talent they have. Ben Johnson said better production will come with better coaching. But there are plenty of questions about whether that can happen. How will Odeyingbo and Turner look coming back from serious injuries? Can Booker take another step this offseason after flashing at times last year? Will van den Berg impress after being taken in the sixth round?

Linebacker

Starters: Devin Bush, T.J. Edwards, D’Marco Jackson

Backups: Noah Sewell (injured), Jack Sanborn, Ruben Hyppolite, Keyshaun Elliott, Nephi Sewell, Dominique Hampton

Edwards said his recovery from injury has gone well and he expects to be ready to practice with his teammates this summer. Noah Sewell’s injury recovery timeline is unknown after he suffered an Achilles injury in Week 17. If he is healthy, he should compete for a spot with D’Marco Jackson and Sanborn, who previously held a spot with the Bears. Elliott will be an interesting prospect to watch during the offseason after he proved he will work hard to earn snaps in college. Hyppolite enters a big offseason after not making an impact as a rookie.

Cornerback

Starters: Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon (nickel)

Backups: Terell Smith, Malik Muhammad, Josh Blackwell, Zah Frazier, Jaylon Jones, Dallis Flowers, Dontae Manning, KC Eziomume

The Bears are hoping Jaylon Johnson can return to his former All-Pro self, and Gordon can come back healthy after each had injury-plagued seasons last year. Stevenson got the vote of confidence from the Bears for most of the offseason. He’ll start opposite Jaylon Johnson at the start of offseason training and training camp. But Muhammad and Smith will be competing for snaps and could make things interesting. What will Frazier look like after a year away from playing?

Safety

Starters: Coby Bryant, Dillon Thieneman

Backups: Cam Lewis, Elijah Hicks, Gervarrius Owens, Skyler Thomas

Chicago changed three of its four safeties from last season. The Bears switched starters at the spot with Bryant and Thieneman, a versatile new duo that has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL. Lewis and Hicks are reliable backups who will also contribute on special teams.

Special teams

Starters: Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor (P), Luke Elkin (LS), Zavion Thomas (KR/PR)

Backups: Gabriel Plascencia (K), Beau Gardner (LS), Kalif Raymond (KR/PR), Josh Blackwell (KR), Luther Burden III (PR)

Santos’ time with the Bears seemed to be on thin ice at times last season. But Santos came through with some clutch field goals down the stretch, including in the playoffs. Plascencia will provide some competition for Santos in the offseason. Thomas and Raymond will battle it out for return duties. Thomas could make more of an impact as a returner if he could prove he can be trusted. Scott Daly, who was the team’s long snapper the past two seasons, remains a free agent.