Chicago Bears

The Bears are operating with the least cap room in the entire league this season, so every cut and every contract decision carries outsize weight.

22 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Four starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

The Bears hold six picks in the current draft, including four first-rounders spread across the three-year window, giving them significant resources to attack multiple roster holes at once.

• Traded away: Round 5 to Patriots, this draft

The roster's clearest strength is its young skill-position and secondary talent headlined by Williams, Johnson, and Loveland, while defensive tackle depth, rated last in the league, is the most glaring weak spot.

• LThigh

  Ozzy Trapilo starts at left tackle but ranks 29th among starters leaguewide, making a premier left tackle the roster's most urgent upgrade.

• REDGEhigh

  Dayo Odeyingbo leads a right edge group that ranks dead last among starters at 32nd, and the depth behind him offers little comfort.

• DTmedium

  Grady Jarrett holds down the starting spot at 81 overall but the Bears rank last in the league in defensive tackle depth, leaving them dangerously thin behind him.

• SAMmedium

  D'Marco Jackson starts at SAM but grades out as only the 8th of 13 starters at the position, signaling a clear need for a quality upgrade.

• WRmedium

  Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III headline the receiver room, but the group ranks 25th among starting units, and the depth lacks a reliable third option.

• SSlow

  Dillon Thieneman starts at strong safety and shows Star development potential at 22, but the unit still ranks 23rd among starters and warrants monitoring.

• 59Tyson BagentQBTyson Bagent sits third on the depth chart behind Caleb Williams and Case Keenum, providing minimal value at 59 overall, and releasing him frees $3.3M against $1.5M in dead money.Frees $3.3M · $1.5M dead
• 73Dayo OdeyingboREDGEDayo Odeyingbo starts at REDGE but grades out at 73 overall in a unit that ranks last in the league, and his release frees $9.5M against $11.0M in dead money, making the timing critical given the team's last-place cap room.Frees $9.5M · $11.0M dead
• 62Brittain BrownHBBrittain Brown sits third on the running back depth chart at 62 overall, and his release costs nothing in dead money while freeing $1.1M on a cap that is pinched at the very bottom of the league.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 65Josh BlackwellCBJosh Blackwell is a depth corner at 65 overall behind a group already stacked through Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson Sr, and Clark Phillips III, and his release frees $1.8M against just $850K in dead money.Frees $1.8M · $850.0K dead
• 65Nephi SewellWILLNephi Sewell grades at 65 overall and sits third on both the SAM and WILL depth charts, contributing little, and his release frees $1.2M with zero dead money hit.Frees $1.2M · $0 dead

The Bears are positioned as one of the more exciting young franchises in the league, centered on Caleb Williams at quarterback and surrounded by ascending pieces in Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze, and Darnell Wright. The offensive line is the biggest obstacle to immediate contention, with a serious need at left tackle and uncertainty at right edge threatening to stifle what could otherwise be a dynamic offense. Joe Thuney remains elite at 96 overall but is deep into the later stage of his career, so the organization must plan for his eventual succession at left guard. On defense, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon form a strong cornerback tandem, and Devin Bush anchors the linebacker corps, but the defensive tackle depth is the thinnest of any team in the league and right edge needs significant investment. The cap situation this season is historically constrained, ranking last in the league in cap room, but the commitment schedule drops sharply after next season, opening meaningful flexibility in the medium term. With three first-round picks across the next three draft cycles and six total picks in the current draft, the Bears have the resources to address multiple holes and accelerate a contention window that already feels close.

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.