When the Chicago Bears hired Matt Eberflus as the new head coach in 2022, lots of people were skeptical. The man, while semi-successful in Indianapolis as a defensive coordinator, hadn’t earned a glowing reputation. He wasn’t on the short list of top candidates. It didn’t take long to figure out why. As you listened to the man speak, it became clear he lacked certain factors that made great head coaches. One was charisma. Eberflus came off as corny and rigid. Nothing summed it up better than his infamous H.I.T.S philosophy, an acronym for Hustle, Intelligence, Turnovers, and Smart. You could hear the eye rolling through the screen. This guy is the best replacement for Matt Nagy that the Bears could find?

Well, we might owe Eberflus an apology. At the time, most thought there was no way a coach could come up with a worse acronym for trying to describe an offensive or defensive philosophy. Ironically enough, Nagy found a way. The former Bears head coach was recently hired by the New York Giants as their new offensive coordinator. He knew he’d have to establish an identity for his group, so he came up with four words that make up the core philosophy.

• Physical
• Tough
• Smart
• Detailed

PTSD.

When they say some jokes just write themselves, they weren’t lying. The poetry of this revelation is as chef’s kiss as it gets.

Matt Nagy continues to show how tone-deaf he is.

The man arrived in Chicago eight years ago with serious credibility. He’d helped oversee the career peaking of Alex Smith in Kansas City and the early development of Patrick Mahomes. He came with a glowing recommendation from Andy Reid, one of the best future head coach groomers in the league. Early signs were so promising, too. The Bears’ offense came out hot in 2018, finishing top 10 in scoring and sending quarterback Mitch Trubisky to the Pro Bowl. It was characterized by a mix of a strong running game and lots of creativity.

However, it didn’t take long to realize Matt Nagy was less flexible than he wanted you to believe. He clearly had a specific way he wanted the offense to function. It involved having the quarterback sling the football. Running the ball became secondary. He once said he wasn’t brought to Chicago to run the I-formation. This was telling because the Bears were having lots of success doing exactly that. It was a clear warning sign that Nagy was ignorant of his players’ strengths and weaknesses.

Some things never change.

The hilarious part about Nagy getting the job in New York is that things had grown tense in Kansas City. After winning the Super Bowl in his first year back as their offensive coordinator, the Chiefs’ offense started experiencing a considerable decline in effectiveness in 2024 and 2025. Nowhere was that clearer than with Mahomes at quarterback, who had his two worst seasons as a professional. The Giants’ bringing him to New York was fortuitous for Kansas City. It makes it look like they elected to let him go out of courtesy for a new opportunity, rather than because they didn’t want to bring him back.

Sure enough, one of the first things he does is establish an offensive philosophy with the most ironic acronym in football history. Bears fans can’t help but laugh. It is too perfect. Maybe Nagy ends up having success out east. He’ll be under the strict guidance of another great head coach, John Harbaugh. However, history says otherwise. The man lacks that certain something that makes good offensive play callers. Sooner or later, defenses will find his tendencies and exploit them.

The Chicago Bears have long kept their ways of acquiring talent to a specific set of methods. It involved the NFL draft, veteran free agency, and the trade market. They have almost never deviated from that formula over the years, even as the game has expanded in popularity. No players from other leagues, like spring football or the CFL. No international prospects, either. However, things have changed since general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson took over. The team is embracing new ways of finding talent more than ever before.

They signed two players from the United Football League this offseason and gave a Canadian-born player (Theo Benedet) significant playing time last year. Now it appears the Bears are pushing their search into far less-used pipelines. This one is the international rugby circuit. News arrived that the team hosted two notable players from the sister sport: Kaylan Faumui and Ben Te Kura.

Faumui is an Australian-born Samoan who ascended through the country’s rugby ranks at a young age. Unfortunately, an injury pushed him away from the sport, and he quickly embraced American football. Te Kura earned renown as the tallest rugby player in history at 6’9″. Like Faumui, he showed lots of early promise before injuries set him back. NFL scouts convinced him to try football.

Why Ben Johnson wants to look at them isn’t difficult to see.

The two young men are tall, strong specimens with great mobility for their size. Such athletes tend to make really good offensive tackles. The NFL has already seen this happen before. Philadelphia famously acquired Jordan Mailata in 2018 as a 7th round pick. He became their starting left tackle in 2020 and has since helped them to two Super Bowl appearances and a Lombardi trophy in 2024. He is living proof that rugby players can make it in the league. No doubt Johnson thinks the idea has merit.

So far, Mailata is the only one to reach a high level. Several rugby players have made the attempt. However, most ended up going back to rugby. The problem is that they often don’t realize how complex American football is until they reach the NFL. Specialized techniques are required for each position, and they take time to learn. It’s not a coincidence Mailata didn’t play until his third season. That is how long it took before the Eagles felt he was ready. The good news for both Faumui and Te Kura is that they’re both 22 years old. They are young enough to learn the game and still have time to put together a productive career.

This is a gamble worth taking.

Ben Johnson knows what he has, or more specifically, who he has. Dan Roushar is one of the best offensive line coaches in the business. He’s particularly renowned for his ability to teach the position, something Terron Armstead believes is in shorter supply than the NFL wants you to think. If anybody is capable of truly developing two raw talents like Faumui and Te Kura, it’d be him. We already know the man has a certain way with giant offensive tackles. You saw it last year with Ozzy Trapilo and with Andrus Peat in New Orleans.

If the Bears sign either player, it will be because they like the talent and they believe they have the intelligence and work ethic to learn the position. Johnson going this route isn’t a surprise. He still doesn’t have a definitive option at left tackle. Until he does, it makes sense to keep exploring his options. You never know where one might pop up. Philadelphia learned that with Mailata. Chicago has a setup similar to the Eagles’.

The Chicago Bears know what to expect going into training camp this year. Head coach Ben Johnson made that clear last summer. It will be tough, intense, and relentless. He believes the only way to survive such a long, grueling schedule is by building callouses in camp. That means physical practices. It certainly worked last season. There is no reason to change that approach now. The difficult part will be shaping the depth chart ahead of opening day against the Carolina Panthers.

There are several position battles set to take place next month. All of them are important, but some are especially crucial to this team’s success. Here is a ranking of the biggest ones.

The Chicago Bears have six key position battles to sort through.

06. Long snapper

For the first time since 1998, the Bears will go into an NFL season with an inexperienced long snapper. From that season through 2025, the organization has employed only three names: Patrick Mannelly, Patrick Scales, and Scott Daly. It was a pretty impressive run. That has come to an end. Daly left for Tampa Bay in free agency. Now, Chicago will hold a competition between former Iowa standout Luke Elkin, who practiced with the team last year, and reigning Mannelly Award winner Beau Gardner, an undrafted rookie from Georgia. It might be a forgotten position, but long snappers are quietly vital. Without a good one, everything on special teams gets much harder.

05. Strong side linebacker

Tremaine Edmunds was cut. Noah Sewell is coming off an Achilles injury. That leaves the Chicago Bears uncertain about two starting jobs from last season. T.J. Edwards is the only one returning who should be ready to go. He should take over in the middle. Thankfully, the team did sign Devin Bush as a free agent. He’ll take over the weak side. That leaves Sewell’s original spot on the strong side. DeMarco Jackson, who was terrific as a backup last season, returned on a one-year deal. He should have the edge to claim that spot. However, he’ll be challenged by Jack Sanborn, who returns after a brief sojourn in Dallas. He has more experience at that spot, which makes their battle all the more fascinating.

04. Wide Receiver 3

Trading D.J. Moore was a necessity this offseason. The Chicago Bears were caught in a salary cap crunch and had few ways to get out of it. Unloading their veteran wide receiver was one of them. So they sent him to Buffalo for draft picks. It has left the team with uncertainty about their depth. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are the unquestioned top two receivers on the team. Together with Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet, that should be the top four targets for Caleb Williams. Still, Coach Johnson wants variety. That third receiver spot vacated by Moore is important. Will he lean on veteran Kalif Raymond, who has deep familiarity with the system from his time in Detroit, or will he go for rookie burner Zavion Thomas, who may have more versatility? Either can expect a pretty strong workload.

03. Cornerback 2

Jaylon Johnson is returning as the unquestioned #1 cornerback for the Bears. Nickel corner is also not much of a debate since nobody seems poised to challenge Kyler Gordon for it. That leaves the second boundary spot opposite Johnson. Tyrique Stevenson held that job last season before he was eventually benched in favor of Nahshon Wright. With the latter departing for New York, the job is once again projected to return to Stevenson. However, the Bears aren’t making it easy. Rookie 4th round pick Malik Muhammad is poised to challenge him for that spot, as will a returning Terell Smith from his torn ACL. Stevenson would be wise not to dismiss them. Both have more than enough capability to snatch the job if he’s not careful.

02. Center

Drew Dalman retiring was a real kick in the gut. For the first time in what felt like ages, the Bears had finally found a center who looked like a long-term starter. Then, after a Pro Bowl season, he retired at age 27. Intentional or not, it left the team in a rough situation. They were forced to divert resources to the position they hadn’t planned on. A 5th round pick was sent to New England for veteran Garrett Bradbury, a former 1st round pick with lots of starting experience. A month later, they selected Logan Jones out of Iowa in the 2nd round. Initially, it was felt that Bradbury would get the starting job as the more experienced of the two. However, Jones has already impressed coaches during spring practices. There is a strong belief he has a chance to fight for that spot.

01. Left tackle

To nobody’s surprise, the person responsible for protecting Williams’ blind side is the most important going into 2026. The Chicago Bears had hoped they had found their solution to the problem last year with Ozzy Trapilo. It looked like they were right, until he tore his patellar tendon. They’re back to square one now, forced to hold another competition between mostly familiar faces. Braxton Jones has a shot at redemption after getting benched last year. Being fully healthy should help a lot. Theo Benedet has put on good weight to help his pass protection. Kiran Amegadjie is still talented. The only new addition is Jedrick Wills, the former top 10 pick of the Cleveland Browns.

Whoever the Bears end up choosing, they need him to at least be decent. A turnstile at the second-most important position on the offense could derail everything they want to achieve this season. This is where the team must have faith in offensive line coach Dan Roushar to make the right decision.

Green Bay Packers fans have never known a point in time when their quarterbacks weren’t superior to the Chicago Bears‘ quarterback. You had the Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers eras between 1992 and 2022. Yet even before that, you had Bart Starr in the 1960s. Superiority at quarterback is something that has permeated this rivalry for almost 70 years. So you can understand why Packer faithful were unwilling to even consider the idea that Caleb Williams might be superior to Jordan Love, Rodgers’ heir apparent.

They’ve been arguing for months that Chicago’s young quarterback is overrated. He is a benefactor of good luck more than anything else. Love has consistently proven his ability for three seasons now, having never missed the playoffs. Bears fans shoot back that Williams is 3-2 against him in head-to-head matchups. The argument seemed to take a decisive shift in Green Bay’s favor when NFL players voted Love the 72nd best player in the league going into the 2026 season.

This was ahead of notable names like Brock Purdy and Baker Mayfield. There was no way Williams would rank ahead of Love. It was victory lap time for Packer fans. Imagine their despair when the Bears quarterback cracked the list at #51, a full 19 spots ahead of Love, as well as Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence, and Jalen Hurts. That’s a two-time MVP, a former Pro Bowler, and a Super Bowl champion.

Caleb Williams isn’t being propped up.

Remember, this list isn’t a fan vote or a media creation. The list is voted on by actual players in the league. This reflects what they think of Williams. If they consider him the 51st best in the entire league, regardless of position? You can’t really argue it. These guys know football way better than fans do. There also isn’t a clear bias involved, as there is with Bears and Packers fans. That just makes it sting even more. Green Bay has hung onto the idea that Williams’ success last season was less about ability as a quarterback and more a series of fortunate breaks.

That argument has all but died now. The NFL itself has said it loud and clear. Caleb Williams is the real deal. He is the first Bears quarterback to be equal to or better than the Packers have under center, probably since the 1980s. History shows that when this is the case, Chicago tends to seize control of the rivalry. It was true in the 1940s and 1950, and the ’80s. Is it a coincidence that the Bears suddenly started winning again when Williams arrived?

Packers fans are only making it worse.

Their incessant attempts to downplay the young quarterback only seem to fuel his fire. He has a semi-masochistic side, in that he delights in people doubting him. The louder it gets, the more determined he becomes to prove them wrong. It is probably why he’s become so good at engineering late-game comebacks. Yet there is a sharper edge to him when the Packers are involved. It didn’t take Williams long to embrace the rivalry when he arrived, and his dislike of Green Bay has only grown since then.

The louder fans get about him being overrated, the more dialed he is on making their favorite team pay the price. You’d think, after what happened last season, that people might realize Williams deserves a little more respect. Leave to Green Bay. They seem intent on fueling those fires as much as possible. Don’t expect Chicago fans to stop them.

Everybody has heard at least snippets of Caleb Williams‘ rise as a quarterback. He started at the very young age of nine, realizing quickly that football was what he wanted to do with his life. His father challenged him, knowing the amount of hard work it would take to reach the NFL. Williams accepted it, sacrificing a part of his childhood to consistently train his mind and body for the grind ahead. It’s a great story that illustrates why he became the #1 overall pick. Such an origin story feels hard to top. Dillon Thieneman might’ve done just that.

The Chicago Bears selected the safety out of Oregon with the 25th pick in the 1st round this past April. Most experts credited his tremendous mixture of athleticism and intelligence for his rise. What most of them didn’t know was just how much work Thieneman put in, and for how long. The Bears recently released their annual Meet The Rookies episode on the young safety. It revealed that Thieneman got a taste of real football preparation and training when he was in 5th grade.

This came courtesy of his two older brothers, Jake and Brennan. Both played college football at Purdue. They brought home their playbooks and taught Thieneman how to read them. He took copious notes. Then, in 6th grade, they put him on a training regimen that mirrored what they did in college.

No wonder Dillon Thieneman always seems a step ahead.

It was like he had the cheat code book before even playing the video game. Thieneman ensured that he was always two or three steps ahead of everybody on a football field. Here’s a young man who’d read and understood complete playbooks from the college level before playing middle school ball. It’s no wonder his high school coaches were shocked at how deep his understanding of the game was. The Bears’ eventual 1st-round prize was thinking several steps ahead of everyone else.

That is why it always seems like he knows where the ball is going on every play and is constantly in the right position. Endless preparation and study. It was ingrained in him at a very young age. His brothers were smart enough to know that Dillon Thieneman was talented enough to play the game at a high level. It fell to them to give him the best possible chance to get there. They had access to resources that few others did, and rather than shield their brother from the difficulties ahead, they challenged him.

Thieneman isn’t intimidated by the NFL.

Most players his age experience the league in the same ways. They’re overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of the pro level, forced to absorb playbook orders of magnitude larger than those in college. That is why it always feels like they’re a half step late reacting to everything. Thieneman is different. He spent years learning how to read playbooks and digest film before kids were ever taught to do so. His transition is more like going from Calculus I to Calculus II than, say, high school Physical Science to Quantum Physics.

Sure, it’s more advanced, but he was well-prepared for what to expect. That is why reports out of Halas Hall indicate he is already seizing control of communication responsibilities on the back end. Thieneman will likely hand that over to veteran Coby Bryant before the season, but it is clear his command of the defense is already taking shape. This is why the Bears were so anxious to draft him. They knew he could not only be a great player, but he could also help them immediately.

In case people weren’t sure going into 2025, there is no mistaking it now. The rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers has reignited. It lay dormant in many ways for years, a cold war that saw the Packers dominate with just five losses between 2008 and 2023. Everything changed when Chicago selected Caleb Williams #1 overall in the 2024 draft. The young quarterback immediately embraced the rivalry, making it his personal mission to reverse the team’s fortunes.

After narrowly missing out on an upset in the first meeting, Williams engineered a comeback victory at Lambeau Field to close the season out. It was the first time the Bears had beaten Green Bay in six years. Some Packer fans called it a fluke. A freak happenstance in a meaningless game. So imagine their surprise when Williams led two double-digit comebacks to beat them last season, first in December to steal the division lead, and then in the wild card round of the playoffs.

An uncomfortable truth began settling in the pits of their stomachs. Williams might not be just another Bears quarterback. Mike Heller, a Wisconsin reporter who covers the Packers, made an admission that may scare Green Bay faithful to death.

Williams is eerily similar to Aaron Rodgers.

This Caleb Williams comparison shouldn’t be shocking.

After all, the Bears quarterback idolized Rodgers throughout his youth, seeing the Packers legend as the gold standard of the position. He modeled much of his own game in that way. Everything from the deep accuracy to the ability to feel and avoid pressure is there. Both of them even played for west coast programs (Rodgers at Cal and Williams at USC). Heller would never even touch that comparison unless he had no other choice. He must be honest with what he sees. The glimpses of Rodgers are there. Ignoring them won’t help anything.

Of course, Packer fans will be quick to point out that Rodgers was already a master of the little things from the moment he stepped on the field. He wasn’t posting an embarrassing 58.1 completion percentage. While true, it’s worth noting that Rodgers also didn’t start a game until his fourth NFL season. In the limited action he saw through his first two years, he completed 48% of his passes. Even in his first year as a starter, he was at 63.6%, which was slightly below the league average. Caleb Williams had 62% as a rookie. The comparison still holds.

Williams becoming like Rodgers is Green Bay’s worst nightmare.

After all, they know full well what the future Hall of Famer did to Chicago throughout his run with the Packers. It was endless torture, always finding ways to win the big games and driving a stake into the Bears’ hearts. Now here’s Williams, who has already done it twice in the past two years. Three, if you count that comeback in 2024, which locked the Packers into the 7th seed and forced them to play the Eagles in Philadelphia. What happened in that wild card game this past January was the equivalent of the infamous Rodgers-to-Cobb disaster in 2013. It is a type of pain Green Bay fans weren’t ready for.

Losing to the usual NFC contenders like Philadelphia or San Francisco is one thing. Losing to the team you’ve dominated for decades, thanks mostly to their quarterback, no less? It’s enough to cause severe internal panic. Is this what Packer fans have to look forward to for the next 10-15 years? If Heller is right, the answer is yes. Williams isn’t going anywhere, and like Rodgers, he only figures to get better as his mastery of Ben Johnson’s offense grows.