Breaking down the Bears’ 2026 offensive roster
The Bears haven’t reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2005 and ’06.
General manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson have spent the last six months trying to find the right pieces to get their team back to the postseason.
Now it’s time to see what that looks like on the field. The Bears report for training camp Tuesday, with their first practice Wednesday.
Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of Johnson’s offense heading into camp.
Quarterback
Returning: Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
Newcomers: Miller Moss
What to know: Williams heads into Year 3 coming off the type of season Bears fans used to dream about. He set a franchise record with 3,942 passing yards. More importantly, he won games. The Bears went 11-6 and won the NFC North for the first time since 2018. Williams’ late-game heroics were a big part of that success.
Bagent served as the primary backup, although he appeared in only three games. He signed a two-year contract extension last August that keeps him under team control through 2027. Keenum returned on a two-year contract in March. The Bears signed Moss, who played with Williams at USC, as an undrafted rookie.
Biggest question: Will Williams’ on-field performance live up to the superstar hype?
It has been a fun offseason to be a Bears fan. Williams, 24, is on the cover of Madden NFL 27. Even Hallmark is jumping on the Bears bandwagon. Expectations haven’t been this high in years.
So how do you measure success for the third-year quarterback? Johnson would say the only thing that matters is wins. And that’s true, to a certain extent. But the Bears know if they’re going to keep appearing in the playoffs over the coming years, it would be because they have a superstar quarterback who can elevate everybody around him.
Williams was undeniably clutch when the game was on the line last season. He led the team to seven fourth-quarter comebacks, including the playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Now he needs to prove he can do it again and again — that last year wasn’t just lightning in a bottle. The franchise’s first 4,000-yard season and its touchdown passes record (29) are within reach.
Williams needs to put his team in position to win, whatever that looks like. If he can continue to do that, records and accolades are likely to follow.
Running back
Returning: D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Roschon Johnson, Brittain Brown
Newcomers: Coleman Bennett, Salvon Ahmed
What to know: Swift, 27, heads into the final year of his three-year, $24 million contract. He’s coming off arguably his best season after totaling a career-high 1,386 yards from scrimmage with 10 total touchdowns. Monangai was one of the NFL’s most productive rookie running backs, finishing with 947 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns.
Biggest question: Can Swift and Monangai be one of the league’s best one-two punches?
Last year was Swift’s best season since 2023, when he went to the Pro Bowl as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. With much of the offensive line returning, the goal for this rushing attack should be more. What does more look like? Considering the Bears finished third in the NFL with 144.5 rushing yards per game, the goal is pretty clearly to be the league’s best.
Is Swift capable of leading the NFL’s best rushing attack? That’s a question looming over this season, especially as he enters the final year of his contract.
Monangai isn’t going anywhere and has a clear path to significant touches again. The Bears have to be pleased with what the seventh-round draft pick did as a rookie.
Ben Johnson is elite at scheming up the run. If the line can stay healthy, there will be holes for the running backs. It will be up to them to hit those holes.
Wide receiver
Returning: Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Jahdae Walker, Maurice Alexander, J.P. Richardson
Newcomers: Kalif Raymond, Zavion Thomas, Scotty Miller, Kaden Davis, Kyron Hudson, Omari Kelly
What to know: DJ Moore is gone, traded to the Buffalo Bills. The Bears will lean on their two young stars in Odunze and Burden. Odunze was on pace to flirt with 1,000 yards last season before missing the final five regular-season games because of a foot injury. Burden came on strong late in the year with Odunze sidelined.
Raymond, a veteran free-agent addition, figures to be the No. 3 option, but third-round pick Thomas could push for playing time too. Walker caught only six passes but made several big plays late in the season.
Biggest question: Just how good can Burden be?
There’s a ton of hype around Burden, and rightfully so. The second-year receiver is expected to take on a much bigger role with Moore gone.
Odunze, when healthy, was the clear No. 1 target. Consider this: Odunze missed the final five games and still led the Bears with 90 targets. That’s how big of a lead he gathered over the first 12 games.
But Burden picked up the slack when Odunze was sidelined. They are the clear top two options at wide receiver. Johnson said the Bears have worked over the offseason to expand Burden’s route tree. He’s potentially poised to be the breakout star of this offense after totaling 47 receptions for 652 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.
Johnson said this spring that he’s “buying Luther Burden stock.” All signs point to a big Year 2 for him. The only question is how big.
Tight end
Returning: Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Stephen Carlson, Nikola Kalinic
Newcomers: Sam Roush, Hayden Large, Qadir Ismail
What to know: Loveland emerged as a force late in the season and led all Bears pass catchers with 58 receptions, 713 yards and six touchdowns. In the final four games (two regular season and two playoff), Loveland averaged seven catches and 94.5 yards.
Kmet remains a versatile piece in Johnson’s offense. Third-round pick Roush should give Johnson a third tight end to move around like a chess piece. Large, an undrafted rookie out of Iowa, has experience as a blocking tight end and fullback.
Biggest question: How much will Johnson lean on the tight ends?
The Bears ranked sixth in the NFL in usage of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers) at 32.6% and fifth in 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends, one wide receiver) at 8.5%. After they drafted Roush in the third round, it wouldn’t be surprising to see both rates rise.
The Rams built the league’s No. 1 offense last year while using 13 personnel on 30.5% of their snaps — more than double the next-highest team. Teams drafted 22 tight ends this year, the most in two decades. It’s not hard to connect the dots.
Loveland, Kmet and Roush are the wild cards in Johnson’s poker hand. Loveland could be poised for a major breakout. Roush seems likely to be a blocking-first tight end, but he’s no slouch as a pass catcher. The versatility of the tight ends helps the run blocking and keeps the defense guessing in the passing game.
Offensive tackle
Returning: Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo, Theo Benedet, Kiran Amegadjie
Newcomers: Jedrick Wills Jr., Mason Murphy
What to know: Jones re-signed with the Bears on a one-year contract. After coming off a major ankle injury late in the 2024 season, he started the first four games at left tackle last year before being replaced by first Benedet and then Trapilo. Jones is the likely favorite to win the left tackle job with Trapilo expected to be sidelined for most of the season by a knee injury.
Amegadjie, who missed most of last season with an elbow injury, could push Jones at left tackle. Wills signed in free agency after missing all of last season recovering from knee and leg injuries. Benedet might be poised to take over the swing tackle role as a versatile backup who can play on the right or left side.
Wright was a second-team All-Pro at right tackle last season and could be due for a contract extension soon.
Biggest question: Is a healthy Jones the answer at left tackle?
Jones said this spring he feels a lot closer to the player he was before the December 2024 ankle injury, which required surgery. Even before the injury, though, there were questions about whether Jones could be a long-term answer at left tackle. The contract he signed is essentially a “prove it” deal, worth $5 million with an additional $5 million in incentives.
Johnson did a phenomenal job of scheming around the uncertainty at left tackle last season. The Bears cycled through four starters — Jones, Benedet, Trapilo and even left guard Joe Thuney for a playoff game — yet rarely did left tackle look like a weakness. As long as Wright remains healthy at right tackle, the Bears probably could take the same approach in 2026.
There was little harm in the Bears giving Jones another shot. He knows the system and has experience. If it’s not working out, the Bears have other options they can turn to. Benedet proved capable last year, starting one game at right tackle and seven at left tackle.
Interior offensive line
Returning: Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, Luke Newman, Jordan McFadden, Kyle Hergel
Newcomers: Garrett Bradbury, Logan Jones, Jaren Kump, Caden Barnett
What to know: Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman retired at age 27 in March. The Bears traded for a veteran center in Bradbury and drafted Jones in the second round. Bradbury figures to start this year, although Jones looks like the future.
Thuney, the reigning Protector of the Year as the NFL’s best lineman, returns at left guard, while Jackson is back at right guard. Both started all 17 regular-season games and both playoff games.
Biggest question: Can Bradbury seamlessly replace a Pro Bowler?
Like Thuney and Jackson, Dalman started every game last season. Those three formed a rock-solid interior that helped cover up any uncertainties at left tackle. The Bears were incredibly fortunate to have a healthy trio across the interior over the course of a full season.
Bradbury, 31, has big shoes to fill. Dalman was coming off the best year of his career and his first Pro Bowl appearance. Bradbury never has been to a Pro Bowl, but he has the experience and leadership qualities the Bears covet at center. He started every game for the New England Patriots last season on the way to the Super Bowl. His veteran experience should help Williams at quarterback.
Jones, an All-American out of Iowa, might be the future, but the position can take time to learn. The center takes on a lot of responsibility diagnosing what the defensive front is doing and how to adjust protections.