What are the expectations for 2026? 7 thoughts on the Chicago Bears' offseason after it began this week

Here are seven thoughts on the start of the Chicago Bears’ offseason as Super Bowl LX is now set.

1 – Year 1 under Ben Johnson sets expectations for Years 2

It really was a season no one expected.

The Bears, with a roster of young offensive players and holdovers from the last regime, won 11 games, won the NFC North, beat the Packers twice and won a playoff game. 

If you were told that a year ago, would you take that deal? I’d take that deal.

But, with this kind of success, it means there’s an expectation to make it back. To others, the expectation is to go even further.

Next season, the Bears will have expectations to get back to the playoffs. It’ll be a difficult endeavor. The Packers will be healthy. The Vikings will have a full season with JJ McCarthy at quarterback and still have their top defense. The Lions will get a new play caller in the building. The NFC North won’t be a cake walk. 

But, the Bears only get a chance to defend an NFC North title if they win one. They did win one, and now they’ll be in the thick of winning another.

2 – Prepare for the defense to look different in 2026

The cap space situation is always a misnomer. For anyone complaining about being mired in cap hell, the Bears can restructure some contracts and rework a few things. That should free up some money.

But, they might have to make more moves.

Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was fantastic until an injury landed him on injured reserve. After that, he wasn’t the same. The Bears would save $15 million if they released him this offseason.

That’s not a given. But, seeing how D’Marco Jackson played last season when filling in for Edmunds and TJ Edwards, the Bears might look elsewhere this offseason. 

A different look might not be a bad thing. One way the Bears could vault into the next step is with an improved defense. The defense played at a high level against the Rams, but that was more of an anomaly than the norm in the final weeks of the season. 

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen could get some players this offseason that better align with is scheme. I give the Bears’ players a ton of credit for adapting to Allen, but most of these Bears defensive players were selected to play in a Matt Eberflus defense. 

3 – The Bears are lucky they got Ben Johnson when they did

The NFL had 10 head coach openings this offseason. Three of them have been filled. Two of the remaining open jobs are AFC North contending teams. One of them is the Buffalo Bills.

In a massive mess of an offseason in the NFL, the Bears found their coach and they’ve hit on it in Year 1.

It wasn’t the same success that Mike Vrabel had in Year 1, who led the Patriots back to the Super Bowl. But, the Bears seemed primed to be in the conversation to take that next step in 2026.

Imagine looking for a head coach in this cycle, too? John Harbaugh has already been scooped up. The Steelers hired one-time-Bears-coach-interviewee Mike McCarthy. Sean McDermott is available; Kevin Stefanski is not.

Without an A1 candidate like Johnson or Vrabel, navigating this offseason would’ve been tough.

But, the Bears got their guy.

4 – Do whatever it takes to retain Al Harris

The Bears’ passing game coordinator and secondary coach will have interviewed for three jobs by the second week of the offseason, proving how many teams in the league want Harris’ acumen on their staff. The Packers, Commanders and Titans have all expressed interest in Harris.

The Bears’ secondary led the league in interceptions this season, so it checks out.

This team was not that similar to the 2018 Bears, but there are a few familiar parts. A first-year coach, a second-year quarterback and the two coming together to win the NFC North. In 2018, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio oversaw one of the best defenses in the 2010s. When he left, there was a notable drop off with a different defense. It’s not the exact same situation, but I can’t stop having a similar feeling.

The Bears can’t allow that to happen again. Harris has been that good of a mentor to players like Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright and Kevin Byard, who were so good at taking the football away. It would be great to see what Harris can do with a Jaylon Johnson who isn’t unlucky with injuries.

The biggest threat was Green Bay, because Harris starred there as a player. But, the Packers hired former Cardinals coach and Colts defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as the new defensive coordinator this week.

The Bears still aren’t out of the woods yet in this regard.

5 – The Bears’ plan at running back this offseason will be telling

Last year, plenty were scoffing as the Bears took a tight end No. 10 overall. Colston Loveland ended up leading the Bears in receiving as a rookie.

This offseason, it would not surprise me if the Bears took the next step in Johnson’s offensive plan. That is, setting up the future at running back.

As it stands, D’Andre Swift should not be going anywhere. He’s got one year left on his contract, and he had a career year last season even while splitting time with rookie Kyle Monangai. Those two combined for over 1,700 rushing yards.

Seeing how Johnson values the running game, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Bears take a running back in the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. This class is deep in that position, with players like Penn State’s Nick Singleton, Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson, Penn State’s Kaytron Allen and Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price available.

I don’t expect Roschon Johnson to be back, since the Bears can save $1 million by moving on. That opens up a spot for a rookie running back in the room. 

6 – About replacing Eric Bieneiemy…

I would give these two guys a call:

Deland McCullough was the running backs coach last season in Las Vegas under Pete Carroll. He mentored Ashton Jeanty’s rookie season and helped develop Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame. He has extensive experience between college and the pros. If the next coach in Las Vegas moves on from McCullough, he could fit nicely in Chicago as a coach who relates to his players well.

Kelly Skipper is the running backs coach in Buffalo. He’s been coaching running backs in the NFL since 2007 and has helped mentor James Cook and Ray Davis into standout roles with the Bills. If Joe Brady gets a head coaching job this cycle, he might follow Brady wherever he goes. But, the Bears should see if there’s interest in Chicago after Sean McDermott was fired in Buffalo.

7 – Lastly, on DJ Moore… 

He doesn’t deserve the flak that he’s gotten.

You can say he slowed up and jogged on that last interception of the season. But, the quarterback said it was a miscommunication. I would believe that. 

"Trying to just flatten him off under safety," quarterback Caleb Williams said. "Since the other safety was down, I felt like we had enough space over there, so tried to flatten him off and just a miscommunication. His route is to go deep and attack that angle, which he did. And, we thought we were going to go under the safety at that point, and it didn't happen that way."

In the NFL, it’s easy to read between the lines. 

In this instance, there were no lines. 

"He's a player that I felt really helped us get to the point to where we were this year," Johnson said. "We had an opportunity there, a couple games away from a Super Bowl. So, I thought he was a huge contributor to getting us there."

The Bears have Moore’s back. And, let’s not act like miscommunications haven’t been the case this season. In the Wild Card round, there was a miscommunication between Williams and Luther Burden III that led to an interception.

That’s something Williams needs to smooth over with his receivers. He’s the quarterback.

Meanwhile, Moore has been a player who showed up in the biggest moments this season. He caught two game-winners against the Packers. He swallowed his pride and was okay with fewer targets in a crowded receiver room.

Barring a wild trade, Moore will be a Bear next season. The Bears would be better off for that, too.

"He didn't care about stats," Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. "All he cared about winning. It's the most winning DJ's ever had, probably since high school. That's all he cares about."