Updated: September 5, 2026. The season recap covers 2025; personnel sections look ahead to 2026.
Leadership and Coordinators
- Owner: The McCaskey family; George H. McCaskey — Chairman McCaskey and President/CEO Kevin Warren saw the Bears return to the playoffs in Ben Johnson’s first season and now expect sustainable success.
- Decision Maker: Ryan Poles — General Manager Poles paired Caleb Williams with Johnson, rebuilt the offensive line and produced an NFC North champion. His 2026 work emphasized speed on defense, a replacement at center and another young wave in the secondary.
- Head Coach: Ben Johnson Johnson immediately modernized Chicago’s offense and established a resilient team identity. Year 2 is about turning dramatic finishes into more repeatable control while continuing Williams’ development.
- Offensive Coordinator: Press Taylor Taylor was promoted after Declan Doyle left for Baltimore. Johnson remains the offense’s architect, but Taylor has a larger role in weekly planning, quarterback preparation and maintaining continuity.
- Defensive Coordinator: Dennis Allen Allen’s first Chicago defense generated takeaways at an extraordinary rate but allowed too many yards and explosive plays. The 2026 challenge is preserving aggression while becoming less dependent on turnovers.
- Special Teams Coordinator: Richard Hightower Kalif Raymond gives Hightower an experienced return option for 2026.
2025 Season Recap
The Bears’ first season under Ben Johnson delivered the breakthrough Chicago had spent years chasing. After a 5–12 finish in 2024, the Bears went 11–6, won the NFC North for the first time since 2018 and earned the NFC’s No. 2 seed. They then defeated Green Bay 31–27 for the franchise’s first playoff victory since the 2010 season before losing an overtime divisional-round game to the Rams, 20–17. The ending hurt, but 2025 changed the organization’s direction and validated the partnership between Johnson and Caleb Williams.
Chicago became the league’s defining late-game team. The Bears won seven games—including the playoff victory—in which they trailed during the final two minutes, the most such wins by any team since the 1970 merger. That resilience was real. Williams repeatedly extended plays, protected the football and delivered difficult throws with games on the line. It was also a warning: living on narrow margins is difficult to repeat. The Bears’ next step is to play with the same confidence before the fourth quarter rather than continually needing rescue missions.
Williams made clear progress in Johnson’s offense. He threw for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions while taking just 24 sacks, a dramatic improvement from the 68 he absorbed as a rookie. Chicago surrounded him with a varied group rather than a single dominant target. Rookie tight end Colston Loveland led the team with 713 receiving yards, DJ Moore had 682, Rome Odunze had 661 and rookie Luther Burden III added 652. D’Andre Swift rushed for 1,087 yards, while seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai supplied 783 more. The Bears finished with 6,282 offensive yards and 441 points, evidence that Johnson’s structure translated immediately.
The offense was not fully polished. Williams completed 58.1 percent of his passes, and stretches of missed rhythm helped create the deficits Chicago so often had to erase. The receiving production was unusually spread out, but no player reached 725 yards. That balance made the offense difficult to key on; it also left room for Odunze, Burden and Loveland to become more consistent matchup winners. The strongest development was that Williams stopped allowing negative plays to define entire drives. His seven interceptions and improved sack avoidance gave Chicago repeated chances to win late.
Dennis Allen’s defense lived at the opposite statistical extremes. The Bears allowed 415 points and 6,150 yards, including 2,287 rushing yards. Yet they finished plus-22 in turnover margin because the secondary consistently attacked the football. Kevin Byard recorded seven interceptions, Nahshon Wright had five and Tremaine Edmunds had four. Montez Sweat supplied 10 sacks, but the pass rush was not deep enough to win consistently without pressure packages. Chicago’s opportunism changed games; the yardage and scoring totals explained why so many of those games stayed tense.
The defining regular-season moment came against Green Bay in Week 16. Trailing 16–6 with less than two minutes remaining, the Bears forced overtime and won 22–16 on Williams’ 46-yard touchdown pass to Moore. That result put Chicago in command of the division. The postseason rematch was even more extreme. Green Bay led 21–3 at halftime and 21–6 entering the fourth quarter, but Chicago scored 25 points after halftime and completed another comeback, winning 31–27. Williams threw for 361 yards, and Loveland produced 137 receiving yards in his playoff debut.
The Rams finally ended the run at Soldier Field. Chicago again rallied late, forcing overtime with a remarkable touchdown, but Los Angeles won 20–17 on Harrison Mevis’ field goal. The Bears had demonstrated that their belief and quarterback gave them a chance from almost any game state. They had also shown why the 2026 priority must be greater efficiency, steadier defense and fewer self-created emergencies. Chicago enters the new season as a legitimate contender, but repeating 11 wins will require more than recreating the magic of 2025.
2025 NFC North Standing
- 1. Chicago Bears — 11–6 (2–4 division) — Lost DR PF: 441 · PA: 415
- 2. Green Bay Packers — 9–7–1 (4–2 division) — Lost WC PF: 391 · PA: 360
- 3. Minnesota Vikings — 9–8 (4–2 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 344 · PA: 333
- 4. Detroit Lions — 9–8 (2–4 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 481 · PA: 413
Chicago won the division despite a 2–4 NFC North record. Its barely positive 26-point differential makes improved week-to-week control the central 2026 test while they attempt to fend off win-loss regression.
Notable 2026 Player Additions
- C Garrett Bradbury (trade, Patriots) Bradbury replaces the retired Drew Dalman and brings experience in the communication-heavy middle of the line. His movement skills fit Chicago’s wide-zone concepts, and his rapport with Williams must develop quickly.
- LB Devin Bush Bush adds pursuit speed to Allen’s second level. Chicago needs him to close space in coverage and help a defense that conceded too much on the ground.
- DL Neville Gallimore Gallimore gives the interior rotation size and movement after multiple departures. His ability to hold up on early downs will affect how freely Allen can use pressure packages.
- WR/KR Kalif Raymond Raymond supplies proven return ability and can contribute on offense through motion, screens and vertical routes. His versatility helps replace some of the touches and field-position value that left with DJ Moore and Devin Duvernay.
- DB Cam Lewis Lewis can cover the slot, play safety and contribute on special teams. That flexibility is especially important while Kyler Gordon begins the season on the reserve/PUP list.
- DB Clark Phillips III (trade, Falcons) Phillips arrived during roster cutdown and adds starting experience to a secondary managing injuries. His short-area quickness gives Allen another option inside or outside.
Notable 2026 Player Losses
- WR DJ Moore Moore remained a trusted target and delivered the overtime winner against Green Bay. His exit moves more responsibility to Odunze, Burden and Loveland.
- C Drew Dalman (retired) Dalman’s unexpected retirement removed the Pro Bowl center who stabilized Johnson’s first Bears offense. Bradbury now inherits the protection calls and chemistry work with Williams.
- S Kevin Byard III Byard led Chicago with seven interceptions and supplied veteran communication. The Bears must replace both his production and his anticipation in the back end.
- DL Gervon Dexter Sr. (trade, Falcons) Dexter recorded six sacks in 2025 before being moved at roster cutdown. His departure increases the burden on Gallimore, Grady Jarrett and Chicago’s young linemen.
- S Jaquan Brisker Brisker’s physicality and 93 tackles leave a meaningful role to fill. Injuries elsewhere at safety make that turnover more significant.
- WR Devin Duvernay Duvernay’s kick returns helped set up several late wins. Raymond is the clearest replacement for his special-teams workload.
2026 Draft Class
- Round 1, Pick 25 — DB Dillon Thieneman, Oregon An instinctive, versatile safety with the range to play deep and the toughness to work near the box. Injuries in the veteran secondary give him an immediate path to snaps.
- Round 2, Pick 57 — OL Logan Jones, Iowa A powerful interior blocker with center experience. Jones can provide depth immediately while developing as a long-term option at multiple spots.
- Round 3, Pick 69 — TE Sam Roush, Stanford A tall, athletic target who expands Johnson’s multi-tight-end menu behind Loveland and Cole Kmet. Blocking consistency will determine his early workload.
- Round 3, Pick 89 — WR Zavion Thomas, LSU An explosive receiver and returner whose speed can create manufactured touches. He gives the offense another way to replace lost receiver volume.
- Round 4, Pick 124 — DB Malik Muhammad, Texas A competitive cover corner with experience in press and off coverage. He can contribute on special teams while learning several secondary roles.
- Round 5, Pick 166 — LB Keyshaun Elliott, Arizona State A rangy linebacker with blitzing and coverage potential. His earliest work should come on special teams and in sub-packages.
- Round 6, Pick 213 — DL Jordan van den Berg, Georgia Tech A strong interior defender who earned an active-roster spot. He projects as rotational depth with a chance to help the early-down run defense.
2026 Spotlight Watch
- Hot Seat — Dennis Allen Chicago’s takeaway production was exceptional, but allowing 415 points and more than 6,100 yards is not a stable championship formula. Allen must create a defense that can get stops even when the interceptions do not arrive.
- Breakout Watch — Luther Burden III Burden produced 652 yards as a rookie while sharing targets across a deep group. Moore’s departure opens more designed touches, and Burden’s acceleration after the catch can turn him into the offense’s most dangerous space player.
- Bust Watch — Devin Bush Bush has the speed Chicago wanted, but the defense needs reliable run fits, clean tackling and disciplined zone spacing from its new linebacker. If those details remain uneven, opponents will continue attacking the middle of the field and the edges of the box.
- Team Superstar — Caleb Williams Williams’ second-year command changed the Bears’ ceiling. His improvisation powered the comebacks, but his improved sack and interception numbers were even more important; another step in timing and accuracy can move him into the league’s top quarterback tier.
Prediction
The Chicago Bears end up missing the playoffs by becoming the 2026 version of the 2025 Detroit Lions, the NFC North’s basement dweller with a winning record at 9-8.
Below is the complete 2026 regular season projections.
Sources
- NFL: Final 2025 division standings
- Chicago Bears: 2025 team statistics
- Chicago Bears: 2025 comeback wins
- Chicago Bears: Divisional-round loss to the Rams
- Chicago Bears: 2026 coaches
- Chicago Bears: 2026 front office
- Chicago Bears: 2026 free-agency tracker
- Chicago Bears: Initial 2026 roster moves
- Chicago Bears: 2026 draft class
