For too long, every new project of the Chicago Bears began with the same promise: patience, development, and the hope that this time the outcome would be different. That narrative no longer suffices.

Ben Johnson’s first season changed the benchmark. Chicago finished 11-6, won the NFC North, and defeated Green Bay to secure their first playoff victory in 15 years. The offense, last in the NFL in yards during 2024, rose to sixth place in 2025 and turned Caleb Williams into the center of a transformation that ceased to be theoretical.

The progress was real. So were the deficiencies: too many games depended on extraordinary comebacks, the defense allowed more points than desired, and the season ended in overtime against the Rams.

That is why 2026 will not be the year of the promise. It will be the year of the validation.

A Super Bowl That Can Already Be Mentioned

Few players represent the recent journey of the franchise better than Jaylon Johnson. The cornerback is entering his seventh season after having lived through three head coaches, five defensive coordinators, and some of the most frustrating stages of the rebuild.

It was also one of the most steadfast voices in the locker room during the collapse of the Matt Eberflus era. While it cannot be attributed solely to him for the downfall of that regime, it is certainly recognized that his public dissatisfaction expressed the exhaustion of a group that demanded higher standards.

His speech is now different.

“This is the team with the most confidence and talent we’ve had since I’ve been here. We have the opportunity to do something special. Never before has the Super Bowl been a tangible goal for us.”

— Jaylon Johnson

The important word is tangible. Johnson is not guaranteeing a championship nor confusing confidence with results. He is recognizing that, for the first time during his career in Chicago, the roster has enough arguments to include the Super Bowl among its legitimate goals.

That conviction, however, brings a new responsibility. When competing for a championship becomes a reasonable expectation, repeating what has been achieved is no longer sufficient.

Ben Johnson Wants to Turn Improvisation into a Method

The 2025 offense was productive, but its most memorable image came outside of structure. On fourth and eight against Green Bay, Williams escaped the pressure and completed a 27-yard pass to Rome Odunze during the historic playoff comeback. The play—later turned into inspiration for the cover of Madden NFL 27—summarized the unconventional talent of the quarterback.

During the off-season, Johnson studied those extended plays with a specific question in mind: How can a spontaneous reaction be transformed into a repeatable source of production?

The scramble drill begins when the original play breaks down. The quarterback leaves the pocket and the receivers must adjust their routes without prior communication. For it to work, it is not enough to ‘improvise’: everyone must interpret Williams’ movement the same way.

Chicago worked especially on three elements:

  • Recognition: identifying immediately when the original structure of the play ends.
  • Movement: keeping routes alive and attacking the spaces left by the coverage.
  • Communication: reading the quarterback’s direction and reacting without verbal signals.

The natural reference is Green Bay’s offense with Aaron Rodgers, capable of turning broken plays into deep strikes. But the Bears’ goal should not be to live off chaos. Improvisation works better as an additional tool than as a substitute for a pointed offense.

That will be one of the great challenges for Williams: preserving the creativity that makes him special while, at the same time, controlling games without needing a miracle every week.

The Gervon Dexter Trade: A Bet, Not a Certainty

The most controversial decision at the end of the preseason was sending Gervon Dexter Sr. to Atlanta in exchange for defensive back Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick in 2027.

The reasoning makes sense. The injuries to Kyler Gordon and Coby Bryant reduced the depth in the secondary, while the rookies Jordan van den Berg and Jayden Loving earned the coaching staff’s confidence in the defensive line. Van den Berg, a sixth-round pick, stood out for his energy and consistency during camp.

“He still has a ways to go in learning the game, but what he brings is impressive. He’s been the same every day, always with a smile. He loves this sport and loves the process.”

— Ben Johnson on Jordan van den Berg

None of that eliminates the risk. Dexter had accumulated 11 sacks in the two previous seasons and offered experience in a defense that needs to pressure more regularly. Phillips addresses an immediate need and the pick adds future value, but Chicago surrendered a young player with proven production.

The move reflects confidence in the new interior rotation. Determining whether it was vision or overconfidence will require more than a good preseason.

The Unexpected Ones Who Survived the Summer

The lower part of the roster also tells the story of this team. Beau Gardner, Jayden Loving, Skyler Thomas, and Hayden Large arrived as undrafted free agents and made the 53-man roster.

Large’s journey was the most improbable: he overcame a serious high school injury, started his college career in the NAIA, and ended up earning a spot as an unrecruited walk-on at Iowa. His summer convinced the Bears, although a pre-season injury sent him to injured reserve on September 1.

That move allowed the return of Jack Sanborn to the active roster, while the defensive lineman James Lynch was also re-signed. It is a reminder that the 53-man roster is never a finished product; it is merely the first snapshot of a roster that will change throughout the season.

For Loving, the opportunity remains open. He started camp far from the top of the rotation and ended up making it impossible for the coaching staff to ignore him. His challenge now is to prove that the energy he showed against backups can be sustained when facing starting offensive lines.

The Secondary Opens the Season Under Pressure

The greatest concern lies in a position that seemed like a strength a year ago. Kyler Gordon will start the campaign on the injured reserve/PUP list after missing almost the entire summer. The designation forces him to remain out for at least four games and there is still no set return date.

Coby Bryant was also moved to injured reserve, although he retains the possibility of returning later. Adding to those absences is Shemar Turner, who continues to recover from a torn ACL and will also start the year on PUP.

The arrival of Phillips offers another alternative for the nickel position, but it does not solve the problem alone. Cam Lewis, Josh Blackwell, and the rookie Malik Muhammad II form part of the options Dennis Allen has for covering the interior.

The question is not only who will replace Gordon. It also matters how much Allen will have to modify his coverages and pressures to protect a zone where communication and experience are essential.

Carolina Represents the First Test, Not the Final Answer

The Bears will open the season on Sunday in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers. The matchup once again places Caleb Williams and Bryce Young face-to-face, two quarterbacks forever linked by the 2023 trade that altered the fate of both franchises.

Chicago arrives with greater pressure. After a divisional championship and a playoff victory, a competitive performance will no longer be considered a moral victory. Johnson’s team must begin to demonstrate that it can win without always relying on turnovers, improbable comebacks, or individual brilliance.

A single afternoon will not define the season, but it can reveal some initial answers:

  • If the revamped offensive line can protect Williams and establish the running game.
  • If the offense functions with discipline before resorting to improvisation.
  • If the new defensive rotation can replace the pressure that Dexter provided.
  • If the secondary can withstand while waiting for its injured players to return.

The Fanaticoso Note: It’s No Longer Enough to Just Excite

The 2025 Bears recovered something the franchise had lost: relevance, identity, and the feeling that no game was decided. They were fun, resilient, and, at times, extraordinary.

Now they must be something more: consistent.

Ben Johnson has already shown he can transform an offense. Caleb Williams has already shown he can respond when a game seems lost. Ryan Poles has already assembled a roster capable of openly talking about the Super Bowl.

The next test is to turn those capabilities into a team that can control games, survive its injuries, and meet expectations that can no longer be hidden behind the word ‘rebuilding’.

The window exists. It is tangible. But championship windows do not remain open by decree: you have to walk through them.

Validation Begins in Carolina.

Bear Down.