Chicago Bears

Chicago is squeezed near the bottom of the league at $8.6M in current cap room (rank 28 of 32), but committed obligations fall off a cliff after next season, setting up a meaningful spending window ahead.

34 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Five starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Chicago's top strength is its offensive line interior anchored by the 96-overall Joe Thuney, while the weakest spot is a thin and unproven left tackle position where the current starter grades out at just 73 overall.

• LShigh
• LTmedium

  Ozzy Trapilo currently starts at left tackle but grades out at just 73 overall, making an upgrade at the blindside protector position a genuine medium priority for Williams' development.

• SAMmedium

  D'Marco Jackson starts at SAM but grades at just 71 overall, with Noah Sewell (68) and Nephi Sewell (65) as the only depth behind him, making this a thin and underpowered position group.

• REDGElow

  Dayo Odeyingbo starts opposite Montez Sweat but is a cut candidate with a dead-money penalty, and Shemar Turner (72 overall, Star dev) is a more cost-efficient option already behind him on the depth chart.

• Plow

  Tory Taylor starts at punter at 73 overall, which is a passable but not elite option, and the low-severity flag suggests monitoring the position rather than treating it as urgent.

• Air RaidoffensiveGood

  Caleb Williams' arm talent at 90 overall pairs with a pass-catching group featuring Loveland, Odunze, and Burden to give the Air Raid's spread concepts legitimate weapons at every level.

• [EA] 4-3 UnderdefensivePassable

  Montez Sweat as the starting LEDGE and Grady Jarrett at DT give the 4-3 Under's front four a credible foundation, with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon providing solid cornerback coverage behind the line.

• 59Tyson BagentQBTyson Bagent sits third on the QB depth chart at just 59 overall, and releasing him frees $3.3M against $1.5M in dead money, making him a clean savings candidate with no meaningful role behind Williams and Keenum.Frees $3.3M · $1.5M dead
• 73Dayo OdeyingboREDGEDayo Odeyingbo starts at REDGE but carries a costly release penalty of $11.0M in dead money against $9.5M freed, meaning the net economics do not favor cutting him now, and the depth behind him in Shemar Turner makes this a watch-and-wait situation.Frees $9.5M · $11.0M dead
• 60Stephen CarlsonTEStephen Carlson sits third at TE and grades at just 60 overall, and releasing him costs nothing in dead money while freeing $1.1M, making him a straightforward roster cleanup cut.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 58Nikola KalinicTENikola Kalinic grades at 58 overall and sits at the bottom of the TE depth chart, and his release carries zero dead money while freeing $1.0M, making him among the easiest cuts on the roster.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead
• 62Maurice AlexanderWRMaurice Alexander grades at 62 overall and sees time only on special teams returns, and his release is clean with no dead money and $1.1M freed from the tight cap.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead

The Bears are a team with a defined identity around Caleb Williams, whose X Factor development trait makes him the kind of quarterback franchises are built on for a decade. The surrounding cast has genuine pieces, including a standout guard in Joe Thuney, a lockdown corner in Jaylon Johnson, and a young receiving corps featuring Colston Loveland and Rome Odunze developing alongside Luther Burden III. The challenge is financial and generational. Chicago enters the season with just $8.6M in cap room (rank 28 of 32) and $15.8M in dead money weighing on the books, which limits roster-building flexibility right now. Several key contributors, including Thuney, Grady Jarrett, and T.J. Edwards, are entering the late stages of their careers and will need to be replaced in the mid-term. Still, the cap picture improves meaningfully, with committed money dropping sharply after the first two seasons and next-year projected room climbing to $23.8M (rank 21 of 32). If the Bears can manage the transition from their aging contributors to younger pieces like Gervon Dexter, Dillon Thieneman, and Shemar Turner, they have a genuine contention window opening around seasons 3 and 4.

The Bears are one of pro football's two surviving charter franchises. Founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys, sponsored by the A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company, the team joined the American Professional Football Association (renamed the NFL in 1922) on September 17, 1920, for a $100 franchise fee. In 1921 owner A.E. Staley handed the club to player-coach George "Papa Bear" Halas, who moved the team to Chicago's Wrigley Field and renamed them the Chicago Bears in 1922. Halas served the franchise as owner, player, coach and executive from 1920 until his death in 1983, retiring as coach after the 1967 season with a then-record 324 wins. The early Bears dominated the young NFL behind Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski, and the Sid Luckman-led T-formation teams of the 1940s won four championships. In all, the Bears have won nine NFL championships, eight before the AFL-NFL merger (1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1963) plus Super Bowl XX, second only to the Green Bay Packers. The modern high point came in 1985: Mike Ditka's 15-1 team deployed Buddy Ryan's "46 defense," recorded "The Super Bowl Shuffle," and demolished the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX behind MVP Richard Dent. The Bears returned to the Super Bowl in the 2006 season under Lovie Smith and Brian Urlacher, losing 29-17 to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI. Lean years followed a 2010 NFC Championship Game appearance, and the Bears did not win a playoff game between the 2010 and 2024 seasons, a drought finally broken in January 2026 with a wild-card win over Green Bay.