Jaylon Johnson was a good player from the moment he walked through the doors of Halas Hall. He quickly became a starter as a rookie in 2020 and quickly established himself as the best cornerback on the team. This eventually culminated in two Pro Bowl nods in 2023 and 2024. Johnson had a case for being one of the best in the NFL. Unfortunately, injuries derailed most of his 2025 season. Now entering 2026, the 28-year-old is operating with urgency, knowing his contract is coming up again. This is likely his last chance to get a good payday before age catches up to him.

However, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson recognized something was missing. The cornerback was an outstanding player on the field, but most of his impact came in a vacuum. It was him against whoever he was covering from snap to snap. Usually, good teams need their best players to be leaders as well. That has never been something Johnson embraced. His more reserved nature and playing with more vocal teammates prevented it. This year was different. Players noticed Johnson speaking up more often, especially later in training camp. The impact it’s been having has been hard to miss.

So what changed?

Coach Johnson found the right person to motivate Jaylon Johnson.

The cornerback has played for several coaches by this point. It is difficult to inspire a player like him through straight coaching. He’s already self-motivated. That didn’t stop the Bears’ head coach. Johnson is always crafty at finding ways to convey important messages to his team. He saved one of his best for this summer when he brought in a man named Nick Lavery. He is a Special Forces operator renowned for his courage and battlefield success, earning a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and three Purple Hearts.

Lavery was deployed to Afghanistan in 2013, where insurgents attacked him and his team. He was grievously wounded but somehow managed to get himself and his men out of danger safely. The wounds he suffered resulted in the loss of his right leg. Rather than settle into retirement as most would, Levery fought his way back and deployed again in 2015, becoming the first in American military history to do so as an above-the-knee amputee. He would later detail this story and the rest of his career in a book called “Objective Secure.”

He spoke to the Bears at length about all of it.

The reactions to the event were felt across the entire building. Perhaps nobody more so than Jaylon Johnson. He admitted that the encounter profoundly affected his views on leadership and mental strength.

“When he came and he spoke to the team, it was like, ‘Damn, that’s the guy that literally dug into his leg, stopped the bleeding and it’s just like when you have somebody of that, I would say caliber, of toughness, of mental just strength, toughness, I think for me it’s just that’s inspiring … when he talks to us about leadership, talked to us about holding guys accountable and what that looks like, for me it was easy to speak on the team when we’re not playing to the level that we’re supposed to play at. And for him, when he spoke on it, for him, it’s like when you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do, guys die. It’s just like, damn, for us, we play a game, but guys’ lives are depending on it. When players don’t perform well, players get fired, coaches get fired. For us, it’s just doing it for each other, doing it for your brother.”

It wasn’t long after this that Johnson began asserting himself more in the locker room and on the field. He held guys accountable, telling them the effort they were putting in wasn’t good enough. If they want to be champions, they have to push through the pain. Push through the fatigue. Reach for something more. That is what great teams do.

The timing of this couldn’t be better. Chicago has a need for defensive leadership after losing so much of it in free agency with the departures of Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, and Tremaine Edmunds. With Coby Bryant out, Johnson decided to step into the void. Teammates were surprised. Coaches were thrilled. They understood the implication. When Johnson, probably the best player on that defense, makes his feelings known, everybody will have to listen. Don’t be shocked if the Bears defense plays with some extra fire this season.

Caleb Williams is already a star in the eyes of Chicago Bears fans. What he accomplished last season was unlike anything they’ve seen before, at least not from a Bears quarterback. Their standards might be somewhat lower compared to the rest of the league, though. Madden developers excluded. One thing we’ve learned by this point is that Williams has his fair share of admirers inside the NFL. Many feel he’s a game-changer with a rare clutch gene few quarterbacks possess. Is he elite, though?

No, at least not yet. Albert Breer of the MMQB held a poll of coaches and executives around the league to gauge how the current quarterback landscape is viewed. Williams ranked 9th among voters. An offensive coordinator believes he’s close to being one of the guys.

“Caleb is an awesome talent,” said one AFC offensive coordinator. “In a year or two, if he stays the course with Ben Johnson, he will be top three. His physical talent is freakish.”

Jeff Howe of The Athletic also ran a poll of his own. The comments from an executive followed a largely parallel line of thinking. Williams already has the make-something-out-of-nothing magic down. Can he learn to operate an offense with more precision? If he can, nobody will stop him.

“He’s got special (Patrick) Mahomes-type stuff in those scenarios outside the pocket, but he’s not there yet inside the pocket,” an executive said. “Maybe he’ll get there with Ben and be a top-five QB, though. I just want to see more consistent plays from the pocket.”

Caleb Williams will go one of two directions in his career.

We’ll call one the Michael Vick path and the other the Steve Young path. Vick was a superstar during his era in the 2000s, but he never accomplished much from a team perspective. Most felt it was because of the way he played. His tendency to lean on his scrambling and off-script playmaking was great for highlights, but it didn’t translate into consistent wins. By contrast, Young was a constant scrambler early in his career as well. However, under Bill Walsh’s guidance, he learned to operate primarily from the pocket, becoming one of the game’s best quarterbacks.

Several quarterbacks have walked those paths. Colin Kaepernick and Kyler Murray followed Vick, while Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson fell more in line with Young. That is the gulf Caleb Williams is trying to cross. Everybody knows he is a brilliant improviser. Few have his knack for slithering out of trouble and making plays outside the pocket. The problem is that the style of play gets easier to defend once teams have seen it enough. Playing on time and in rhythm has been and remains the most difficult style of play to stop. There isn’t much defenses can do when the QB has the ball out so consistently.

The structure around Williams is perfect for this.

Head coach Ben Johnson has installed an offensive system predicated on playing under center with lots of play action. Quarterbacks must know how to work from the pocket in that type of scheme. There is also the offensive line, which stood up well in pass protection last season. By keeping Williams upright, his confidence in the pocket should grow. Lastly, there are the weapons. With guys like Colston Loveland and Luther Burden getting open frequently, the quarterback has less need to improvise.

We saw glimpses of that player last season. Williams can do it. It’s not like he was constantly struggling to play from the pocket. It is only a matter of finding consistency. That often comes with more experience in the offense. Plenty of quarterbacks go through similar growing pains. Williams doesn’t seem perturbed by the challenge. If anything, he embraces it. He wants to be great and will do everything required.

The Chicago Bears have entered the preparation phase for week one of the 2026 season in mostly good shape. Almost all of their players who are not on Injured Reserve have been practicing. Barring another setback, the team should head into Carolina at full strength. There is just one exception. Wide receiver Rome Odunze left practice last week with what was described as a “leg” injury. Later reports indicated the issue wasn’t deemed serious. So you might understand the growing concern about Odunze still not returning to practice.

Head coach Ben Johnson finally provided clarity on what is going on. While Odunze is considered day-to-day, meaning he’s expected to return sooner rather than later, he did clarify what the exact problem is.

For those who don’t remember, the wide receiver was hobbled last season by a significant foot injury. His inability to play at full speed was evident for most of the year. Some feared the issue might linger. While Odunze insists the foot felt great going into camp, this latest setback suggests a much greater concern.

Rome Odunze has a problem that can kill a wide receiver’s career.

Ask any player at the position. Outside of the hands, there is no more important appendage to a wide receiver’s success than the feet. It is what they need to run fast and deliver the kind of crisp routes to get open or make catches along the sideline. Bad feet mean you lose speed and can’t cut. When that happens, your effectiveness as a player is at least halved, if not more. Many great wide receivers have seen their career derailed by foot problems.

Santonio Holmes was an emerging star in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Then he suffered a Lisfranc injury in 2012. He was out of the league just three years later. Hakeem Nicks also suffered a bad broken foot that same season. His career ended before he even turned 28. Sammy Watkins endured multiple foot surgeries, going from explosive weapons to out of the league by age 30. Michael Thomas was unstoppable for a three-year stretch in New Orleans. Then everything went downhill in 2020, as ankle and foot problems took him from a Hall of Fame trajectory to out of football at 30 years old.

One foot injury for Rome Odunze can be a freak occurrence. Two? That signals a pattern.

This entire situation is troubling.

The harsh reality is that some players don’t have the physical durability to withstand the constant pounding of the NFL game. Nobody has ever questioned Odunze’s work ethic. He goes as hard in practice and the weight room as anybody. The mental will is there. It always has been. The concern is that his body might be slowly breaking down from the stress. Usually, when the same area suffers multiple injuries, it’s the start of a trend. If those feet can’t stay healthy with Odunze still so young, there is no way they’ll suddenly get tougher as he adds more and more mileage to them.

Is this a death knell? No. Injuries have always been unpredictable. Still, seeing Odunze dealing with the same problem that haunted him last season in the same area of his body is worth concern. If this were an arm or shoulder issue, that’s one thing. A receiver can’t thrive without healthy feet. The next couple of months will determine a lot, both about Odunze’s 2026 season and the Bears’ potential plans for him beyond.

The 2026 season is about to begin. The Chicago Bears have made all preparations. This roster is the best they could manage with the resources available to them. General manager Ryan Poles may not have taken a big swing like he wanted, but he did the best he could. The truth is, the team was limited in the number of moves they could make due to the salary cap. However, don’t expect a modest approach in 2027. The Bears will have far more flexibility going into next year, and many of those decisions will hinge on how certain players perform this year. It starts with Dayo Odeyingbo.

Chicago paid the big defensive end an average of $16 million per year when they signed him as a free agent in 2025. So far, they’ve gotten eight games, 1.5 sacks, and a torn Achilles from that investment. Not exactly money well-spent. Looking ahead to next offseason, the Bears would net $15 million in cap space by releasing Odeyingbo. You can bet their finger is currently hovering over that button, keeping a close eye on #55 in the upcoming games this season. Needless to say, the defensive end can’t afford another disappointing year.

Dayo Odeyingbo isn’t the only Bears defender under pressure.

He is joined by 2025 free agent classmate Grady Jarrett. There is no denying the veteran defensive tackle was more valuable to the Bears last season. He at least played for most of the year and became a stalwart locker-room presence. However, he also only had 1.5 sacks and didn’t impact games enough to justify his $14.25 million per year. The 33-year-old is still an unquestioned leader, but the Bears just invested heavily at defensive tackle this offseason, headlined by rookies Jordan Van Den Berg and Jayden Loving. If they excel early, or Jarrett underperforms, you can bet the team will seize that $13.5 million in cap relief next spring.

New teammate T.J. Edwards is in a similar boat. Injuries plagued the linebacker last season. At 30 years old, it is difficult to know if he has any gas left in the tank. To say nothing of the fact that this coaching staff had no say in signing him. You can bet money they won’t hesitate to dump him if he doesn’t deliver this year. The Bears would net $8.5 million in cap relief by unloading him. They could probably find somebody healthier, faster, and cheaper. Edwards needs a rebound season in the worst way.

Kyler Gordon and Montez Sweat represent wild cards.

Outright cutting the nickel cornerback won’t exactly bring cap relief for the Bears in 2027. Even using the post-June 1st designation would only net the team $800,000. However, that wouldn’t be the point. Gordon already missed 14 games last season. He’s going to miss at least four more this year. There is a clear disconnect between the player and the organization. Paying him to go away is starting to feel more preferable than continuing this charade much longer.

As for Sweat, his case is more straightforward. He just turned 30 years old. He’s still the Bears’ best pass rusher. If his production remains steady, there is no way the team will cut him. That said, if he were to regress significantly, that $21 million in space they’d net from dumping his contract would start to look awfully appealing. Sending both he and Dayo Odeyingbo out together would give Dennis Allen a chance to completely overhaul the most important position on his defense.

All of these guys have every incentive to play well. If not for a possible championship, then most definitely for survival.

The Chicago Bears have completed offseason work for 2026. General manager Ryan Poles has done his best to piece together a roster capable of going further than last season. It falls on the coaching staff to get the most out of the players. The first objective is taking down the Carolina Panthers on opening day. As we learned last season, expecting the Bears to get off to a strong start is never wise. After all, they’re 3-7 in the past decade in week one. That includes 1-3 on the road.

Regardless of what happened last season, it is unwise to make any assumptions about this team. The best thing to do is look at the matchup with an unbiased eye. You might be surprised by what you see. Here is a full breakdown of the matchup.

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers backstory:

Two playoff teams from 2025 get to prove whether last season was a fluke. The Panthers have the home-field advantage and no doubt believe they’re being disrespected by people who say last season was more luck than ability. The argument is at least fair. Carolina made the playoffs despite going 8-9 while boasting an offense that ranked 27th and a defense that ranked 16th. They lost three of their last four to end the season, and then the wild-card game against the Los Angeles Rams. Is it disrespect or a fair critique?

As for the Bears, many view them as the prime regression candidate this year. Their success in 2025 was predicated on two major factors: takeaways and 4th quarter comebacks. Both are unpredictable variables that are difficult to sustain from year to year. As good a play-caller as Ben Johnson is and as talented as the Bears are on offense, they may not have a complete enough roster to replicate last season. How they perform in Carolina will tell a lot about what to expect.

Injuries:

WR Rome Odunze (Leg)

With D.J. Moore gone, the Chicago Bears have really placed a lot of faith in Odunze to fill the void alongside Luther Burden at wide receiver. That is hard to do if he can’t stay healthy. A foot injury already ruined last season. Now he’s dealing with a leg issue that left him out of Chicago’s Monday practice, leaving his status uncertain. With the Bears being an offense-first team, they can’t afford to lose one of their key weapons against a Panthers defense that was decent against the pass last year.

Taylor Moton (Blood clot)

Injuries have sprouted all over the Carolina roster this offseason, but nowhere has it hit harder than the offensive line. They already didn’t have left tackle Ikem Ekwonu because of a knee injury. Now they’ll be without Moton, their best blocker, because of a scary blood clot issue that could keep him out for several more weeks. That leaves the Panthers with two backups at their tackle spots. It is a prime opportunity for Montez Sweat and the Bears’ defensive line to get after Bryce Young.

Key matchups:

WR Jalen Coker vs. CB Malik Muhammad

No area of the Chicago Bears’ defense was exploited more than in the slot last season. That was the price paid for not having cornerback Kyler Gordon for 14 games. He is now out for at least another four, meaning that area is one the Panthers are sure to attack. Coker was their favorite slot option last season, giving them some big performances in crucial games. It sounds like he’ll be challenged by the Bears’ rookie 4th round pick, who’s spent training camp and the preseason working exclusively at nickel corner. How he holds up in that matchup may dictate the flow of the game.

TE Colston Loveland vs. LB Devin Lloyd

One of the reasons Carolina spent so much money acquiring Lloyd in free agency was that they were victimized by opposing tight ends several times last season. They needed a more athletic linebacker to defend the middle of the field. Lloyd had 5 interceptions in 2025 with Jacksonville. He’s also 6’3″ and 235 lbs. Whether any of that matters against Loveland is debatable. Chicago’s emerging star tight end pretty much had his way with every defense he faced last season. Lloyd has struggled against top tight ends like George Kittle and Trey McBride. If the Panthers play him in the middle, which looks like the plan, that complicates things since he’s primarily a weakside guy.

X-factors:

RB Chuba Hubbard

One of the persistent issues with Carolina has been their ability to run the ball consistently. One thing that was true last season is that the team won more when they could. They were 4-2 in games where they ran for at least 125 yards on the ground. With the health status of Jonathan Brooks uncertain, Hubbard figures to get the primary carries on Sunday. He rushed for 1,100 yards in 2024 and remains a capable back. Chicago’s run defense was 27th in the NFL last season. How he fares will be worth watching.

EDGE Austin Booker

Lots of people were upset when the Bears didn’t address the edge rush this offseason. The team seems intent on giving Booker a legitimate shot to emerge after his strong finish to 2025, where he had 4.5 sacks in his final 6 games. The Bears were 3-1 in games where the young defensive end had at least a half sack. Everybody knows the Panthers will devote extra blocking to stop Montez Sweat. That means Booker must take advantage of the one-on-one opportunities he’s sure to get.

Prediction: Bears win 31-27

When you have a matchup between two of the best offensive play callers, Ben Johnson and Dave Canales, you should expect points. Neither defense is overly imposing. The key here is that Chicago has more firepower on paper. They also have the more talented quarterback and the healthier offensive line. It won’t be an easy game by any means. The Panthers have a reputation for being pesky, and they’ll find ways to make it an uncomfortable game. Still, expect Williams to close it out late and get out with a victory.

Plenty of people have offered their opinions on Dillon Thieneman since the Chicago Bears drafted the young safety 25th overall in April. Most have been complimentary, admiring his speed and intelligence. Yet they all say the same thing: he still has work to do. That is fair. Thieneman is a rookie, and safeties tend to need more time to mature than players at other positions. Yet perhaps the best person to ask in this situation is the one who’s given him the most trouble since training camp began. That is Colston Loveland.

The Bears’ star tight end wrecked shop all summer in camp. Nobody could cover him. Yet it was Thieneman who seemed to always be on the worst end of it. Loveland abused him. One would think the tight end has, if not a low opinion of the safety, then at least a modest one. So you might be surprised to hear Loveland is actually a bigger fan of Thieneman now than he was when camp started. People may have heard about the schooling sessions last month, but they haven’t seen the strides the rookie has made since.

“He’s always been on his stuff as far as (the) playbook. He’s got a great routine. I see him in there before practice in the weight room getting right. He does the same thing every single day. It’s obviously not a question. He’s going to be really good but out there on the field as well, I think it shows up. I got him a good amount of times early on but he was in position. It was just like late hands, whatever. And then kind of at the end of camp, (it’s) him starting making plays on the ball. It was cool to see. He’s a great player, super fast, physical. He’s grown so much throughout this camp. I’m excited to see him go out there on Sundays.”

Colston Loveland likely sees some of himself in Thieneman.

After all, he knows plenty about the value of hard work. It was ingrained into him at a young age, living on an Idaho ranch. Playing for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan only honed it further. So by the time he got to Chicago under Ben Johnson, anything the Bears asked of him was nothing new. It is probably why the team thought it such an easy decision to draft him. The same might’ve proven true with Thieneman. The safety is an athletic freak, sure. That always helps. Yet they’re on the lookout for football junkies—Guys who live and breathe the game.

From the moment the Bears met Thieneman at the scouting combine, they knew he fit the criteria. His knowledge of the game screamed somebody who’d watched many hours of film. His even-keeled personality on and off the field suggested a player who knew how to handle the highs and lows. That is why Colston Loveland dominating him in the first two weeks of camp had little impact beyond those specific plays. Thieneman kept getting up, grinding film, and coming back the next day. Before anybody knew it, he was giving the tight end tougher battles.

This doesn’t feel like lip service.

If Loveland were just being nice to a teammate, you could tell. There are always certain buzzwords used. Usually, guys revert to stuff mentioned in the draft like speed, athleticism, etc. Instead, the tight end immediately went straight to Thieneman’s work ethic and grasp of the game. Nothing about the physical attributes. All about the preparation. That is the highest compliment you can pay any player, let alone a rookie. This, more than any other reason, is why Bears fans should be excited.

The hardest thing to do is find a player who checks two crucial boxes. They must be a blue-chip athlete and have an insatiable work ethic. Sadly, players often lean more into one or the other. They’re either a fantastic athlete with a solid, if uninspiring, work ethic, or a gym rat who spends many extra hours honing their craft but lacks the natural talent to take full advantage. Thieneman has both.