The Chicago Bears‘ defense was swamped by an avalanche of injuries last season. More than half of their starters missed multiple games. Some, like cornerback Jaylon Johnson, cornerback Kyler Gordon, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, edge rusher Austin Booker, and defensive end Shemar Turner, missed half of the season or more. The defense never played a single game together with its original 11 projected starters. It was a minor miracle they still managed to lead the league in takeaways. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen deserves credit for that.

However, some are beginning to think something is wrong. Barely a week into training camp, and defenders are already dropping like flies. Thursday’s practice alone saw four defensive players leave the field with injuries and not return. Montez Sweat was among them. There is no way simple bad luck explains this. It’s starting to feel like a trend. Longtime Chicago radio personality Dan Bernstein has a theory. He believes it has something to do with Allen’s coaching style and presented his case on 312 Sports.

Dennis Allen has a track record of high injury rates.

“We were mentioning that we’ve got a researcher who has been doing some work for 312 Sports who has raised the question about Dennis Allen and injuries. Is there a correlation between Dennis Allen running your defense and or your team, even if we hold it to soft tissue injuries in the secondary? Is there a correlation between Dennis Allen’s presence and an increased frequency of those? I think the answer to that is yes…

…And for what it’s worth, the same thing happened to Dennis Allen in New Orleans. And this is a quote from Mickey Loomis, the general manager, when they fired Dennis Allen. Loomis said, ‘Dennis Allen, I think, is a fantastic football coach, but it just gets right back to what stares at you right in the face that we’ve had an abnormal amount of injuries, and we haven’t been able to overcome that.’ And so that puts pressure and stress on the organization and ultimately it was caused for a change.”

Where does the data stand on this Allen theory?

Tracking injuries is always tricky. One must remember that many setbacks are things you can’t control, such as knee, elbow, neck, and ankle ligament injuries. Soft-tissue injuries (hamstrings, groins, quads, and calves) are where the argument can at least be made that coaching may play a role. I did some research. In his last five seasons as a defensive coordinator, from 2018 to 2021 in New Orleans and last year in Chicago, Allen has seen a steady uptick in the total number of games missed by defensive players due to injuries.

It’s not like Dennis Allen is ignorant of the problem. During his last season with the Saints in 2024, he acknowledged the upward trend in soft-tissue injuries the team was suffering.

“Looking at hydration levels, a little more pre-practice stretch, activation period. Those are a couple things that we’re going to look at.”

That season, New Orleans saw 14 different players miss at least one game with a soft tissue problem. Is it a coincidence that the very next year in Chicago, the Bears suddenly start experiencing the same misfortune? Maybe there is something about Allen’s approach, which is known to be rigorous, that players aren’t accustomed to.

The Bears should monitor this issue carefully.

If they go through another season like last year with guys dropping left and right, it might be time for head coach Ben Johnson to make a decision. As capable a schemer as Dennis Allen can be, it matters little if your best players can’t stay on the field with any consistency. This means the Bears either need to find a training staff that can properly prepare guys for the coach’s approach, or they need to find a new coordinator who has a more modern way of thinking on how to prepare players.

Again, it must be reiterated that all of the blame can’t fall on Allen. Last season, Johnson and Gordon were the ones responsible for their injury problems. Both occurred during offseason training. Gordon had health concerns even before Allen arrived. This is more about whether the coach makes a shaky situation worse. The data, imperfect as it is, does show a trend in the wrong direction. If the Bears haven’t taken it seriously before, they must start now.

The Chicago Bears haven’t exactly tried to hide their feelings about the Kyler Gordon situation. They watched the cornerback miss 14 games last season. It’d be one thing if this were due to a bad knee injury, a broken bone, or a torn Achilles tendon. What made it so frustrating was that it all stemmed from soft-tissue injuries. One such setback can be excused. Three or four? That suggests a serious issue with the player’s conditioning. They aren’t doing everything necessary to prevent such problems.

It would explain why head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles barely hid their frustration with Gordon. They expected him to be ready for training camp after months of healing his body. Instead, he missed all of OTAs and minicamps and has now missed the first week of camp. Johnson plainly stated that there is no update on his current status.

Well, Gordon himself decided to break the silence. While signing autographs for fans during Thursday’s practice, he was asked about his situation. Based on his reply, it sounds like he believes he will be ready by next week.

Kyler Gordon won’t be getting a warm welcome.

The Bears are past that point. They’re tired of waiting for him to finally get himself right. Smart money says if he hadn’t received that contract extension last year, there is a strong possibility the team would’ve let him walk after the 2025 season. The guaranteed money he’s owed, and the cap penalties they would incur, are the only things preventing the Bears from cutting him. His lone saving grace at the moment is that injuries elsewhere have largely kept someone from stealing his job while he has been out.

Safety Coby Bryant suffered a knee injury that should keep him out for two months. This necessitated Cam Lewis moving to that safety spot. Before that, he’d been the one taking most of the starter reps at nickel corner. That means Kyler Gordon only has to worry about rookie Malik Muhammad at the moment. Presuming he is telling the truth and he returns next week, it is likely the job will remain his. The timing is certainly crucial. The Bears’ first preseason game is on August 15th against Cleveland.

Gordon faces a do-or-die 2026 season.

That may sound crazy considering his contract situation, but the Bears seem to be at the end of their patience. They paid him the kind of money befitting a core member of the defense. You can’t be that if you’re constantly on the sideline dealing with something. If Gordon goes through another year missing half the season, you can bet the team will eat his dead money and cut him with a post-June 1st designation. Either that or they somehow get somebody to trade for him, which is unlikely.

The point is that Gordon has lost the benefit of the doubt. Nobody in that locker room trusts him anymore. It isn’t because he is a bad teammate or doesn’t work hard. They just don’t believe he’s tough or durable enough to stay on the field. If there is anybody on that defense who is fighting for his job, it is him. It is amazing to think things have gotten to this point in barely a year. The NFL can be a cruel mistress sometimes.

If somebody told you one of the biggest standouts of early Chicago Bears training camp wasn’t your 1st round pick but a 6th round pick instead, you’d be laughed out of the room. Yet that seems to be the case after a week of action at Halas Hall. While most of the attention has been on safety Dillon Thieneman thus far, he hasn’t been the one creating buzz. That honor belongs to defensive tackle Jordan Van Den Berg. After some flashes in the first non-padded practices of camp, he delivered his best performance to date on Thursday in one of the team’s most physical sessions.

It started during a 9-on-7 period between the offense and defense, where the rookie blew up a run play by bulldozing the offensive line. This clearly got the attention of coaches, who put him in 1-on-1 drills against the starters. That didn’t slow him down. Both 2nd round pick Logan Jones and second-year guard Luke Newman both had problems dealing with him. Keep in mind, this was two days after Van Den Berg started a fight by suplexing a player to the ground. It’s not like the offense was unaware of what the 6th round pick could do.

Jordan Van Den Berg is not your normal late pick.

At least that is what the Bears seem to think. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN tweeted that Chicago coaches told him there are big plans for the rookie defensive tackle. They don’t see him as a typical 6th round pick. There is no question that Van Den Berg is a rare physical specimen. He has a mix of size, power, and explosiveness that almost always goes much earlier in the draft. Is it possible that a unique set of circumstances led him to slip through the cracks? When you look at what happened in college, you start thinking that way.

For one, Jordan Van Den Berg spent three years as a backup at Penn State, accomplishing little. That is why he chose to transfer to Georgia Tech. He felt it gave him the best chance to finally start. That he would do, but his first season with the Yellow Jackets was fine, but nothing special. Then he went off in 2025, collecting 3 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. The tape was really good. However, you had a player who was already 24 years old and had only one good season of production. Teams don’t like risking higher draft picks on such prospects.

The timing of this can’t be overstated.

Interior pressure was a big problem for the Bears last season. While Gervon Dexter did have six sacks, he wasn’t able to harass the quarterback consistently enough. Garrett Jarrett wasn’t any better, hobbled by a knee injury in the first half of the season. Chicago had planned to use Dayo Odeyingbo on the inside a lot, but that plan was ruined when Austin Booker injured his knee. If you look at the array of players the Bears have at defensive tackle, Van Den Berg represents the purest interior pass rusher on the roster.

Seeing him already get work with the starters is a great sign. It means he has done enough in drills to show coaches he deserves more opportunities. Again, this is not normal for a 6th round pick. Since 1970, the Bears have drafted eight defensive tackles in that range or later. The only one to become a viable impact player was Roger Stillwell in the mid-1970s. He played barely over two seasons, in which he had 11.5 sacks, before injuries forced him to retire. Stillwell went 212th overall. Van Den Berg went 213th.

It can be done.

Being a 1st round pick brings high expectations for Dillon Thieneman. However, most often find that the NFL is a completely different beast compared to what they knew in college. The Chicago Bears‘ young safety is quickly finding that out at training camp. While he hasn’t been overly bad by any stretch, the rookie has been quiet through the first week of practice. That isn’t a surprise. Dennis Allen’s defense is notorious for being complex to learn. Unfortunately, Thieneman finally had his “Welcome to the NFL” moment in Thursday’s practice, courtesy of wide receiver Luther Burden.

It came at the very end. Head coach Ben Johnson put the starters on the field for a two-minute drill. The offense had to go 65 yards with 1:41 on the clock. Quarterback Caleb Williams calmly led them down the field, going a perfect 6-for-6 on the drive. The decisive moment came on the final play. Burden was lined up in the slot. On the snap, it looked like he was running a corner route. Thieneman shifted over in coverage to help. At the last second, Burden planted his foot and executed one of the nastiest cuts you’ll ever see.

Thieneman was caught completely off guard. Williams hit Burden in the end zone for the winning touchdown.

Luther Burden humiliated Thieneman…and did him a big favor.

Ask any player whether they’d rather get their highlight moment in training camp or primetime television. All of them, to a man, will say the former. Those who don’t are lying. Thieneman was a really good player in college. That isn’t enough at this level. He must learn to up his game. What he just saw from Burden is a regularity in the NFL. Many receivers can route crisp routes like that. Don’t think Amon-Ra St. Brown or Justin Jefferson will be any less merciless when he sees them for the first time.

There is no reason for Thieneman to feel discouraged. That sort of thing happens to even the best defenders in the league. Sometimes you’re just caught out of position, and there is nothing you can do. The lesson moving forward is learning to reach your landmarks and staying disciplined with your eyes. The moment you overrun, wide receivers will make you pay dearly. Luther Burden has that rare mix of speed and agility that makes him absolute hell to deal with. Add such crisp route running, and the rookie won’t be the last one he dusts this year.

This one moment doesn’t tell the full story.

Thieneman hasn’t been a complete disaster in camp by any stretch. He’s showing his excellent athleticism and improving communication every day. Asking him to pick up this defense in a couple of months is unrealistic. The key for him is mastering the basics before moving on to directing traffic, as he did at Oregon. One good thing is that he doesn’t seem discouraged. He has that short-term memory of forgetting previous plays and moving on to the next one. That should serve him well going forward.

As for Burden? He is living up to the hype already. Head coach Ben Johnson warned that people would be smart to buy stock in the wide receiver this season. He expects big things. Johnson doesn’t say that about just anybody. He even went so far as to say he saw visions of St. Brown and Jarvis Landry in Burden, at least from a competitive standpoint. His domination of training camp thus far backs up those assessments.

Head coach Ben Johnson earned a reputation last year for putting together some of the most intense and physical practices the Chicago Bears had seen in a long time. Veteran reporters said it reminded them of the Lovie Smith era. Johnson promised right before the action on Thursday that things would pick up considerably in their latest padded action. He was as good as his word. The offense and defense brought lots of heat throughout the action, with loads of popping and some tempers flaring.

Unfortunately, such action can sometimes lead to casualties. Injuries surfaced on multiple fronts. The first was left tackle Braxton Jones, who left early after a one-on-one drill against Austin Booker, slamming his helmet on the ground. Jones has dealt with injury problems for the past few years, missing most of 2025 with various ailments.

That wasn’t the end of it, though. Later in practice, two defenders left the field. Cornerback Dallis Flowers appeared to suffer a non-contact injury, while defensive end Montez Sweat pulled up during the action and took himself out. He walked off under his own power.

Towards the end of practice, backup safety and special teams member Gervarrius Owens rounded out the list of walking wounded with what appeared to be a knee injury.

The Chicago Bears must hope the issues aren’t serious.

Jones’ situation is one the team is all too familiar with. He’d been getting the majority of reps with the first-team offense. It was an indication that they trusted him the most up to this point in the left tackle battle. If he suffered another serious setback, it would put that spot into even more uncertainty. Both Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie seem to have gotten most of the remaining reps. If Jones is out for a considerable period of time, it will be interesting to see who emerges between those two.

Perhaps the most unnerving loss is Sweat. The Chicago Bears’ pass rush was already questionable last season when the defensive end was healthy and playing well. If he’s out of the picture, things really get dire. Austin Booker played well to end last season, but he is by no means somebody who can carry a pass rush by himself. The Bears have to hope his exit from practice was either cramping or a minor muscle strain that should clear up within a week.

The Bears are picking up where they left off last season.

Aside from the offensive explosion and late-game magic, the story of 2025 was injuries. Both at left tackle and on defense. Jones landed on Injured Reserve, as did rookie Ozzy Trapilo. The defense saw half of its main starters miss significant time. It seems they haven’t shaken that bug. Jones and three defenders left the field before practice ended. Two of them sounded pretty significant. Both are defensive backs. That means a significant part of the Bears’ depth took a hit while Kyler Gordon and Coby Bryant were already out with injuries.

Suffice to say, the team is in a tough spot. Their secondary was already a concern before Bryant went down. Now it’s becoming a central problem. Losing Sweat exacerbates it even further. As for Jones, one can only feel bad for him at this point. Despite looking good when healthy, he just can’t stay that way. His body can’t handle the strain. If nothing else, this situation serves as a reminder that it would be shocking if the Bears don’t target a left tackle early next offseason, depending on Trapilo’s recovery.

Chicago Bears right tackle Darnell Wright picked the perfect time to have his best season in 2025. He was the unquestioned anchor of an offensive line that allowed just 24 sacks and paved the way for the NFL’s 3rd-best rushing attack. His second-team All-Pro nod was the first true validation of how good the former 1st round pick has become. Unsurprisingly, the Bears were quick to reward him with a lucrative contract extension totaling four years and $116 million. It was well-deserved. Even Ben Johnson acknowledged it.

After practice on Wednesday, the Bears’ head coach brought the team together and congratulated Wright for the achievement. Then, as only Johnson can, he couldn’t resist needling the tackle a little bit.

There is no question that Wright’s ascent was completed once he began working with Dan Roushar. The man is widely viewed as one of the best offensive line coaches in football. His efforts in New Orleans alone produced an elite group that produced some of Sean Payton’s greatest offenses. Wright, to his credit, admitted that Roushar is a mastermind.

“He is such a good teacher and he does it with such good (delivery). He’s not yelling at you, he’s not screaming at you, he’s not demeaning you. He’s telling you what’s good about the rep and he’s telling you what’s bad about the rep so you can see both sides.”

Ben Johnson always finds a way to keep his players humble.

Becoming the highest-paid right tackle in football can make it easy for success to go to your head. There are way too many examples throughout recent NFL history where a player gets his money and stops working hard. While there is no reason to worry about that with Wright, it still falls on the head coach to remind his players that the grind never stops. Money alone won’t build a legacy. Sustained success and championships do that. Ben Johnson believes Wright is capable of much greater things. If you’re not aiming for the Hall of Fame, why are you even playing?

One thing is certain: Wright has checked the first major box in his career. He got his money, setting himself and his family up for life. Next on the agenda is winning a championship. The Bears took a big step in that direction last season, reaching the divisional round. There is still so much work to do. Wright is a critical part of that pursuit. With the defense still seeking an identity, the offense must once again carry the load. As always, it must start up front.

Don’t expect Johnson to let up.

Now other players know what to expect. Johnson will be among the first to congratulate you, but don’t you dare think that he will say, ‘Mission accomplished.’ The Bears’ head coach is hardwired to always push. Reaching a milestone just means it’s time to find the next one. The time for self-congratulations will be after you retire. Wright is nowhere near that. If he has his way, he’ll be in Chicago for a long time. Jimbo Covert was the latest Bears offensive lineman to crack the Hall of Fame. No doubt he aims to join that elite group someday.

Johnson is the perfect man to help him get there. His offense is one of the best in football and should remain that way for years to come. If Wright stays healthy and plays like he did last season, the accolades will keep rolling in. One person who is thrilled by it all is general manager Ryan Poles. He was the one who believed in Wright before everybody else did. Looking back, that 2023 draft may go down as one of the best a Bears GM has ever had, both for the trade Poles pulled off and who he landed in the end.

The Chicago Bears were already getting glimpses of why they signed Coby Bryant in free agency this past March. After a slow start to training camp, the safety ignited the defense with a big day, snagging an interception of Caleb Williams and making a nuisance of himself everywhere. His presence was impossible to avoid. It was a sign of how dangerous the defense could be with him guiding the action. Naturally, as has become the case way too often, the injury bug saw fit to ruin everything.

During the first padded practice of camp, Bryant landed awkwardly while covering tight end Cole Kmet during drills. This resulted in a hyperextended knee, a bone bruise, and a small fracture. While not season-ending, the injury will sideline the safety for the next 8-10 weeks, meaning he will likely miss at least the first two games of the regular season. It isn’t the result anybody wanted. Bryant expressed gratitude for the well-wishes he received from fans. However, it also quickly became apparent that he was already planning his revenge tour when he got back.

Coby Bryant is no stranger to being doubted.

Many thought he was a lost cause since he arrived in the NFL as a cornerback. He just didn’t have the speed to keep up with wide receivers. However, the Seattle Seahawks opted to shift him to safety, hoping that might mask the issue. They were correct. He transformed into a Pro Bowl-caliber player on one of the NFL’s best defenses. Teammates and coaches alike lauded his ability to mix athleticism with elite instincts. Having him patrolling the back end is such an advantage for any team.

The good news is the Bears don’t face a murderous lineup of quarterbacks to start the season. Their first month will be against Bryce Young, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, and Geno Smith. If Coby Bryant is out for the full 10 weeks, he can at least be comforted that he’ll return for when the Bears really need him. The next slate of four games will include Jordan Love, Drake Maye, and Sam Darnold. Bryant should be healthy and ready for action by that point. There is no way he’s missing his first Packers game and the matchup against his former team.

The Bears’ plan for Bryant’s absence seems clear.

One of their other free agent additions, Cam Lewis, has shifted into Bryant’s spot. Lewis has extensive experience playing safety from his time in Buffalo. While not as gifted, he has enough versatility to give Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen some flexibility. He’ll also serve as necessary help for rookie Dillon Thieneman. One should also keep an eye on Elijah Hicks. The longtime backup has always shown flashes in limited defensive snaps. Maybe the Bears get him involved, too.

If neither performs as hoped, expect the team to go hunting for some veteran help on the free agent market. Smart money says that won’t happen. The Bears know Bryant won’t be out that long. Signing a notable veteran to merely play a couple of games before hitting the bench makes little sense. That is, unless they can find a way to keep them involved. All things considered, the likely outcome is the team will ride with their backups for a couple of weeks and hope he returns on the earlier side of the projection.

The Chicago Bears caught the NFL by surprise last season, going 11-6 and winning the NFC North title for the first time in seven years. It was done through a mix of great offense, opportunistic defense, and some incredible late-game magic from quarterback Caleb Williams. While the final result, a loss in the divisional round to the Rams, wasn’t what they wanted, it felt like a signal that the team is trending in the right direction. Head coach Ben Johnson refused to buy into that, stating that 2026 would be a start back at zero.

Expectations for the Bears are all over the map. Some believe they will defend their crown and repeat as division champions. Others see them as a clear regression candidate, unable to duplicate what they accomplished last year because of the amount of luck involved. Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated did a full prediction for the entire coming season around the NFL. He believes the Bears will once again produce a winning record. Unfortunately, it won’t be enough to get them back into the playoffs this time.

3. Chicago Bears (10–7)

I suppose, “the Bears will miss the playoffs” is the headline from this blurb, even though Chicago will have won double-digit games for the second consecutive season and will have posted a statement victory over the defending Super Bowl champions. I don’t think a 10-win season necessitates a What’s wrong? or What happened? style blurb. According to the FTN Almanac, the Bears have one of the worst projected defensive DVOAs in the NFL. This is a split that, if it turns out to be accurate, would have the Bears looking a bit like a less hilarious version of the 2025 Cowboys. Chicago was a lower-rung unit last season and, despite some flirtation with Maxx Crosby, did most of its heavy lifting in reshaping the team’s defensive backfield. Hence, I have a few “slip up” games for the Bears against teams with some elite playmakers, like Bijan Robinson in Atlanta and two losses to Ben Johnson’s former team, the Lions. Again, I don’t think slightly punishing the Bears, a team whose offensive excellence and the stunning health of its offensive line overshadowed holes on defense and distracted us from the fact that the team ranked fairly high in a ranking of clubs that benefitted from “luck”-adjusted plays, is controversial. An MVP-caliber campaign from Caleb Williams, plus a crusade against Ryan Poles to improve the defense next offseason, feels like a very comfortable and safe landing spot. 

The Chicago Bears face two key issues.

First, they remain stuck in a loaded division. Green Bay made the playoffs as well last season and is always a threat. Detroit swept the Bears in the season series and finished 9-8. Minnesota underperformed but seems to have improved at quarterback with the arrival of Kyler Murray. Navigating those six games will be a major challenge. Part of that is because of the second issue. The Bears’ defense hasn’t really improved enough, at least on paper. Their two takeaways leaders, Kevin Byard and Nahshon Wright, left in free agency. Tremaine Edmunds was also cut. They did bring in proven starters Coby Bryant and Devin Bush, but Bryant is already dealing with a knee injury.

The primary concern is the overall lack of improvement up front. It is the exact same group from last season, aside from some minor additions like Neville Gallimore and Jordan Van Den Berg. The defensive line finished among the league’s worst in total sacks and was also poor against the run. Is there any reason to believe they can take a step forward? The Chicago Bears brass seem to believe they can. Fans are skeptical. If the defense remains below-average and can’t maintain its turnover pace, it will be much harder to win games.

There is some good news.

Historically, if you can produce a top 10 offense, your odds remain pretty good for making the playoffs. Seven of the teams that finished in that area last season did so, including the Bears. Also, 10 of the top 15. The point is, if Chicago can pick up where they left off last year offensively, they should remain at least in the hunt. Usually, 10 wins should be enough to get you into the playoffs. Over the past two years, six teams have finished with a 10-7 record. Only one didn’t reach the postseason.

There is no doubt that the projected result from Orr would sting. The last time the Bears produced back-to-back winning seasons was 2005 and 2006. They made the playoffs both years. Seeing a productive season go to waste with no chance of competing for the Super Bowl is like eating a cupcake without frosting. What was the point? Here is hoping such an effort doesn’t prove so flavorless. Given how Ben Johnson operates, he won’t find that outcome acceptable.