Colin Cowherd Sees a Super Bowl Ceiling for Bears in Post-Draft Power Rankings

In the 2025 NFL draft, the Chicago Bears caught a lot of flak for an unexpected first-round pick. This year, the consensus view is that the Bears pulled off the biggest Round 1 heist, but the rest of their draft is polarizing. Most analysts and fans saw Chicago's defensive line as its biggest weakness heading into the draft. General manager Ryan Poles, however, did not address this position until he selected Jordan van den Berg with the 213th pick.

This controversial draft class has forced some fans and analysts to lower their expectations for the Bears. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports dropped the Bears to No. 10 in his post-draft power rankings, three spots behind the Green Bay Packers, who didn't even have a first-round pick. Longtime NFL analyst Colin Cowherd, however, is moving in the opposite direction.

Who are the best teams in the league now that the NFL Draft is done?@colincowherd breaks it down in his latest Herd Hierarchy pic.twitter.com/PUhhZfe6TU
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 28, 2026

Cowherd released his Top 10 teams for the 2026 NFL season following the draft, and he ranks the Bears all the way up at No. 4. Only the Denver Broncos, the L.A. Rams, and the defending Super Bowl champions ranked higher.

"I think their first two draft picks are home runs," Cowherd said. "Everyone can say they didn't get a [defensive] end. Yeah, but boy did they upgrade their offense again, and this right now is an offensive franchise... This team lost to the Rams in a playoff game in which the Rams literally played perfect. No dropped passes, one or no penalties, no turnovers. This team will vie for the NFC Championship."

The Bears have made believers out of doubters

It's amazing how much an opinion can change in one year. Last offseason, Cowherd earned the ire of Bears fans when he compared Caleb Williams to a 'disastrous first date'. He insisted that Caleb Williams can't play in structure, and would therefore fail in Ben Johnson's offense. Now, Cowherd's not only listing the Bears as one of the best in the NFC but is also saying that they could very well play in and win the NFC Championship Game.

That's the Caleb Williams effect. Cowherd likely wouldn't be this high on the Bears if he doubted their quarterback. Last year he doubted, but now he believes, and now he sees the Bears as a contender.

Chicago's ceiling is as high as anyone's

And here's the thing: Cowherd is absolutely right. As he mentioned, the Rams barely squeezed by Chicago in the playoffs, and they had to play a perfect game to do it. If the Bears face a similar scenario in 2026, with another year of experience and another year of growth for Williams and Johnson, I think that game has a very different outcome.

Chicago absolutely could play their way into the NFC Championship next year, and there's no team in the conference that they can't beat. They may not defeat the AFC Champion in a Super Bowl match, but I don't think it's outlandish at all to say that the Bears' ceiling is a Super Bowl berth.

The Bottom Line

Ben Johnson may be tired of hearing about the team's success in 2025, but the fans and analysts will keep talking about it as a springboard for the Bears in 2026. They already proved that they can hang with the best in the conference, that they can win a loaded NFC North division. Now, with a full offseason to refine and improve their playbooks and schemes rather than force the players to drink through fire hoses, it's reasonable to expect the Bears to take another step forward.

That next step is an NFC Championship game appearance, which could very well be played in Soldier Field for the first time since 2010. If they can reach that level, all bets are off, and the Bears will officially be title contenders. The players and coaches will continue to say the right things about how hard it will be to get back there, but I have full confidence that they will.

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google