Bears Rookies Who Will Stand Out the Most in Preseason Action vs. Browns

When the Chicago Bears take the field for their first preseason game of 2026 against the Cleveland Browns, the team's rookies will be in action for the first time on an NFL field.

While we're excited to see every rookie, we're especially excited to see the team's draft picks in action. Unfortunately, we may not see all of them, as wide receiver Zavion Thomas has been dealing with an injury and is unlikely to play.

Among the rookies who are going to play or are likely to play, here are the ones we believe will stand out the most on Saturday afternoon.

Dillon Thieneman

Head coach Ben Johnson announced that "a number" of starters won't play in preseason Week 1, so there's no guarantee the Bears' first-round pick will suit up. That said, if he does, Thieneman will be one of the most important players to watch on the field.

Thieneman is slated to start at safety in his first season in the NFL, and his ability to make an immediate impact is even more crucial after the Bears lost Coby Bryant for four to six months due to a knee injury.

Thieneman is known for his elite athleticism and football IQ, and that could lead to a standout play or two if he does indeed make his NFL preseason debut on Saturday.

Jordan van den Berg

The sixth-round pick was lauded for his elite athleticism coming out of Georgia Tech after registering a perfect Relative Athletic Score during the pre-draft process.

But van den Berg has shown he's more than just an elite athlete, with practice observers noting his impressive strength and feistiness (he body slammed fellow rookie Caden Barnett).

The rookie has been ascending since the pads came on at training camp and van den Berg has even gotten looks with the ones, which is a good sign he's going to make the roster.

Now, we get an opportunity to see first hand the traits that have allowed van den Berg to make significant strides in recent weeks.

Malik Muhammad

Muhammad was having a quiet offseason prior to training camp and through the start of it, but he has begun to make some noise recently after getting first-team reps at nickel corner with Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Jones injured.

The first thing that will jump out at Bears fans is Muhammad's wiry frame, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in competitive nature and he's going to make receivers earn every catch.

We'll get our first true glimpse at the fourth-round pick's competitiveness in what could be the beginning of a long career as a future starter for Chicago.

Jayden Loving

Like van den Berg, Loving, who was an undrafted free-agent signing, was billed as an elite athlete, and so much so he drew a comparison to Aaron Donald.

While it remains to be seen if he'll even come close to living up to that kind of comparison, Loving's athleticism and work ethic have certainly caught the attention of his teammates.

"He's been a hard worker from day one," Grady Jarrett said. "His athletic profile speaks for itself. He's continuing to get better every day, and I don't think it's a surprise to any of us how far he's come or how far he can go, but we're happy to have him. I think he's going to be somebody who's definitely going to surprise a lot of people when these preseason games get going, and he's going to represent for us really well."

Despite mostly flying under the radar, Loving remains someone to keep an eye on for a 53-man roster spot given the uncertainties the Bears have upfront. If Loving's athleticism shows up on the field, he might become a lot more known after preseason Week 1.

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