The Chicago Bears have their initial 53-man roster in place, and there's an obvious takeaway when evaluating it from top to bottom: It's a roster capable of winning the NFC North again, but it's considerably stronger on offense than defense.
Chicago's offense centers around Caleb Williams after his franchise-record 3,942-yard season, along with most of the supporting cast that helped the Bears go 11-6 in Ben Johnson's first season. The defense has more questions, especially after the Gervon Dexter Sr. trade and with Kyler Gordon, Noah Sewell, and Shemar Turner beginning the season on PUP.
Here's how every position group grades entering Week 1.
Quarterback: A-
Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
The Bears finally have a quarterback room that feels like a strength.
Williams threw for a franchise-record 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 2025. The completion percentage (58.1%) needs to improve, but Williams enters Year 3 with a second season in Johnson's system and a considerably higher ceiling than what we've seen so far.
Bagent might be the best QB2 in the NFL, while Keenum provides an experienced veteran presence.
The grade becomes an A or A+ if Williams makes the leap the Bears believe is coming.
Grade: A-
Running back: A-
D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Roschon Johnson
The Bears have a solid and even underrated running back room in 2026.
Swift rushed for a career-high 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry last season. Monangai added 783 yards and five touchdowns at 4.6 per carry. Together, they helped Chicago finish third in the NFL with 2,456 rushing yards.
Ben Johnson recently said Swift looks better than he did at this point last year and is "primed for a big year."
The concern is Monangai's knee injury, but Roschon Johnson gives Chicago an experienced third option and special-teams contributor.
Grade: A-
Wide receiver: B+
Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker, Zavion Thomas
Losing DJ Moore in the offseason lowers the floor of this group, but its ceiling remains extremely high.
Odunze produced 661 yards and six touchdowns in only 12 games last season, while Burden caught 47 passes for 652 yards as a rookie. Now Chicago is betting on both making significant Year 3 and Year 2 jumps.
Raymond adds speed and experience. Walker flashed as a rookie. Thomas gives Johnson another explosive player after his 140-yard preseason finale against Tennessee.
There's plenty of talent here. The only reason it isn't an A is that Chicago needs Odunze and Burden to prove they can replace Moore's consistency over a full season.
Grade: B+
Tight end: A
Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Sam Roush, Hayden Large
This could become the best position group on the roster.
Loveland led Chicago with 713 receiving yards on 58 catches with six touchdowns as a rookie, becoming the first Bears rookie tight end to lead the team in receiving yards since Mike Ditka in 1961. Now he's entering Year 2 healthy and looks poised for a breakout.
Kmet remains one of the NFL's better all-around complementary tight ends, and his presence allows Johnson to create personnel problems with multiple-TE formations. Roush also had an encouraging summer.
Loveland and Kmet give Johnson two legitimate starting-caliber tight ends with very different ways of stressing a defense.
Grade: A
Offensive line: A-
Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, Garrett Bradbury, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Ozzy Trapilo, Theo Benedet, Logan Jones, Luke Newman, Jordan McFadden
Four positions look excellent. One remains the question.
Thuney earned first-team All-Pro honors last season, while Wright was a second-team All-Pro. Jonah Jackson returns at right guard, and veteran Garrett Bradbury replaces Drew Dalman at center. Three Bears offensive linemen earned either All-Pro or Pro Bowl recognition in 2025.
Then there's left tackle.
Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet battled throughout camp without Ben Johnson declaring an obvious winner until late in the process, while Trapilo is returning remarkably quickly from his patellar tendon injury.
If the Bears get merely solid play at left tackle, this could be one of football's best lines once again.
Grade: A-
Defensive line: C
Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy, Grady Jarrett, Neville Gallimore, Kentavius Street, Jordan van den Berg, Jamree Kromah, Jayden Loving
Chicago traded Gervon Dexter to Atlanta and released Marcus Davenport, putting considerable faith in its remaining defensive linemen.
Sweat remains the proven edge threat. Jarrett brings veteran leadership and interior disruption. Odeyingbo and Booker need to provide consistent pressure opposite Sweat.
The wild cards are van den Berg and Kromah.
Both earned roster spots with excellent preseasons, and van den Berg's emergence helps explain why Chicago was comfortable moving Dexter. But preseason production and regular-season production are two very different things.
Until this group proves it can consistently pressure quarterbacks, it's the roster's biggest concern.
Grade: C
Linebacker: B
T.J. Edwards, Devin Bush, D'Marco Jackson, Keyshaun Elliott
Edwards remains a dependable three-down linebacker, while Bush was a big-ticket free-agent signing who brings speed and intensity to the second level.
The concern is depth.
Chicago released Jack Sanborn and will begin the season without Noah Sewell, who is on reserve/PUP.
Jackson and Elliott will need to take on greater responsibilities if injuries occur.
Grade: B
Cornerback: B-
Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Malik Muhammad II, Josh Blackwell, Clark Phillips III
If Kyler Gordon were healthy, this grade would look much different.
Johnson is the anchor. The two-time Pro Bowler and 2024 second-team All-Pro has established himself as one of Chicago's most important defensive players.
After that, there are questions.
Stevenson needs consistency. Rookie Malik Muhammad had an encouraging summer but will be tested immediately if his role expands. Blackwell provides experience, and Phillips, acquired from Atlanta in the Dexter trade, has appeared in 28 NFL games with seven starts.
Gordon starting the year on PUP hurts. Until he returns, Chicago's cornerback depth will be tested.
Grade: B-
Safety: B
Coby Bryant, Cam Lewis, Dillon Thieneman, Xavier Woods, Elijah Hicks, Skyler Thomas
This group looks much different than the Bears probably envisioned several months ago.
Bryant's knee injury creates the biggest uncertainty. Rookie Dillon Thieneman, meanwhile, made a strong impression throughout camp and has already become a critical starter.
Woods gives Dennis Allen a veteran presence, while Lewis and Hicks add versatility.
There's intriguing depth here, but much depends on how quickly Thieneman develops and what Chicago eventually gets from Bryant.
Grade: B
Special teams: A-
Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, Beau Gardner
No drama here.
Santos provides stability at kicker, Taylor gives the Bears a legitimate field-position weapon at punter, and Gardner returns at long snapper.
The return game also has considerable upside with Raymond and Thomas available.
It's one of the cleaner areas of the roster.
Grade: A-
Overall Bears roster grade: B
The offensive side of this roster looks ready to contend. Chicago has a potential franchise quarterback entering his third season, an excellent backfield, multiple young receiving weapons, arguably its deepest tight end room in years, and an offensive line featuring two reigning All-Pros.
The questions are obviously on defense.
Can Chicago replace Dexter's interior pass rush? Can someone consistently win opposite Sweat? How long will Gordon remain sidelined? Can Thieneman immediately handle a substantial role? And will the young defensive linemen who dominated during the preseason translate that production to Sundays?
Those questions keep the overall grade from reaching an elite mark.
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