Bears' 2026 Schedule Drew a Lazy Commanders Comparison That Misses the Point

The Chicago Bears 2026 schedule was released on Thursday night, along with the rest of the NFL, with each team announcing its schedule by a unique video. The Bears' Bob Ross-themed release video was almost perfect, while the Green Bay Packers opted for an odd claymation production, and the Minnesota Vikings took a shot at Caleb Williams in their video.

The schedule release has also put us in the thick of overreaction season. Even ESPN's NFL insider Dan Graziano joined in the fun, putting together his biggest takeaways and overreactions to the 2026 NFL schedule release. Upon looking at Chicago's schedule, he judged that the Bears are in for a regression, drawing an unfair comparison to an NFC rival. "Remember how we all felt about the Commanders this time last year?" Graziano asked. "Progress is not always linear, and the 5-12 Commanders of 2025 are a testament to that after they reached the NFC Championship game in quarterback Jayden Daniels' 2024 rookie season."

The line between the two teams that Graziano draws is obvious, but also incredibly superficial and way off the mark. Here's why.

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams passes the ball in a game against the Commanders. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

1. Injuries loomed large for the Commanders in both 2024 and 2025

One of the reasons why the Commanders excelled in 2024 and reached the NFC Championship game was injury luck. The Commanders were one of the healthiest teams in 2024, with both quarterback Jayden Daniels and receiver Terry McLaurin playing every game. Additionally, when they met the heavily favored Detroit Lions in the Divisional round, the Lions had most of their starting defense on injured reserve.

The 2025 season was a different story. McLaurin played just 10 games, while Daniels only appeared in seven. While it's true that their offense was already regressing from its highs in 2024 (more on that later), it's safe to assume that the Commanders would have won at least a couple more games than they did had Daniels and McLaurin remained healthy.

There's nothing anyone can do about injuries. The Commanders may still have regressed, but with so many injuries to key starters, it's impossible to know how their season may have gone with a cleaner bill of health.

Chicago Bears RB D'Andre Swift carries the ball against the Washington Commanders. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

2. The 2024 Commanders ran a gimmicky offense

Jayden Daniels was a star in college, and to ease him into the NFL, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury designed an offense that was very similar to the one Daniels ran in college. The Commanders operated almost exclusively out of shotgun and pistol formations, and at times, Daniels would even call for the center to snap the ball by clapping, just as he did in college.

While this worked wonders for Daniels' rookie season, NFL defenses were always going to figure out such a simple offense after an offseason of film study. The Commanders eventually had to ask Daniels to play more of an NFL-level game, and he struggled quite a bit in 2025, even before he got hurt.

Caleb Williams could not be in a more different situation. Head coach Ben Johnson threw his quarterback into the deep end of the pool last year and told him to sink or swim. He changed up Williams' footwork, had him under center more than he'd ever been before, and gave him one of the league's most complex playbooks to master. It wasn't often pretty in 2024, but Williams still set a franchise record for passing yards.

Remember, that was just Year 1 of the Ben Johnson era. The 2025 season was about building a foundation. Now that Williams has experience running a professional offense, he's primed for a big leap forward in 2026, not a regression.

3. The Commanders went all-in too early, but the Bears remain cautious

After their shocking trip to the 2024 NFC Championship game, the Commanders pushed all their chips into the pot. They loaded up on older impact veterans, giving them the oldest average age for starters for the 2025 NFL season in an attempt to reach the Super Bowl in 2025. Looking back now, they probably should have waited to see Daniels lead Washington to glory one more time before making such big and costly roster moves.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles, however, is taking a more measured approach. He did not make any big trades to acquire aging veterans, though he did his due diligence on such players as Trey Hendrickson and Maxx Crosby. He also made very few splashy moves in free agency this year; the biggest contract he handed out was the Bears' $40 million agreement with safety Coby Bryant.

Now, with a good mix of youth and age, the Bears are prepared to compete not only in the 2026 season but into 2027 and beyond.

The Bottom Line

It's easy to see a superficial comparison between the 2026 Bears and the 2025 Commanders, especially since both teams drafted a quarterback with a Top 2 pick in the same class, but the similarities are only skin-deep. Williams is already far ahead of Daniels in his development as an NFL quarterback, and he's also proven to be more reliable, starting and finishing all 34 games of the last two seasons.

The Bears may regress in 2026, but it's not going to be the kind of 5-12 regression season that the Commanders ran into last year. The Bears have a better, more carefully constructed roster, a more developed quarterback, and, most importantly, have one of the league's best, young head coaches to continue mentoring Williams.

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