Every Rookie Who Made the Chicago Bears' Initial 53-Man Roster

The Chicago Bears had a grand total of 11 rookies make the 53-man roster, including four undrafted free-agent signings.

Chicago Bears tight end Hayden Large (43) runs on the field during Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite being a win-now team, the Chicago Bears weren't afraid to have a little youth movement on their initial 53-man roster.

We typically see rookies having a harder time making the cut on a team like the Bears that has its sights set on a Super Bowl in 2026 following a season in which Chicago won a playoff game.

However, the Bears' initial 53-man roster includes a total of 11 first-year players, including all seven 2026 NFL Draft selections and four undrafted free-agent signings.

Here's a look at all 11 and how they figure to factor into the Bears' plans going into the regular season.

Draft picks who made the cut

Chicago Bears safety Dillon Thieneman (31) after a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• S Dillon Thieneman
• C Logan Jones
• TE Sam Roush
• WR Zavion Thomas
• CB Malik Muhammad
• LB Keyshaun Elliott
• DL Jordan van den Berg

So far, so good for general manager Ryan Poles' and head coach Ben Johnson's latest draft class, as all seven of their 2026 picks made the cut.

It once looked like only one rookie would earn a starting role to begin the 2026 season, but now it appears there will be at least two, and possibly as many as three.

Dillon Thieneman was slated to begin the year as a starter from the jump and that has not changed after training camp and the preseason. Thieneman is a work in progress after he had some struggles in camp, which was to be expected, but we saw enough flashes of brilliance to be confident in him.

Muhammad may be pushed into the slot cornerback job right away thanks to the injuries to Kyler Gordon (calf), who is on the PUP list, and Jaylon Jones (hamstring), who is on injured reserve. Muhammad, who wasn't perfect but had a good offseason overall, was the next man up with the ones in practice after Gordon and Jones went down, so he appears to be the top option in the slot.

A sixth-round pick, not only did van den Berg defy the odds to make the roster, he looks primed for a significant role after he came on strong during training camp and the preseason. With Gervon Dexter traded to the Atlanta Falcons, the Georgia Tech product may be in line for a starting role out of the gate. At the very least, van den Berg should be in the rotation upfront.

Roush flashed as both a blocker and pass-catcher in his first NFL offseason and settles in as the TE3 behind Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet, as expected. With the Bears utilizing three tight-end sets, the rookie should see a fair amount of playing time.

Thomas figures to be the No. 5 wide receiver on the depth chart, but after he exploded in the preseason finale with 140 yards and a touchdown that came on a 97-yard reception, head coach Ben Johnson is going to find a way to get him involved.

Jones showed growth from where he was at OTAs, but he simply couldn't do enough to unseat Garrett Bradbury as the starter. That isn't surprising, though, as it was always unlikely a win-now team like the Bears would put a rookie in such an important position. Jones remains on track to be the future at center in Chicago.

Last but not least, we have Elliott, who amounts to the biggest wild card of the bunch right now. Elliott sits at the fourth and final spot at linebacker on Chicago's initial 53-man roster, but we have zero idea what to expect after he missed nearly all of training camp with an injury. We're not sure if he'll even dress come Week 1 given how much time he missed and we fully expect a veteran addition on the team's practice squad, which would essentially push Elliott to LB5.

UDFAs who made the cut

Chicago Bears defensive back Skyler Thomas (38) warms up during Chicago Bears Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• TE Hayden Large
• DL Jayden Loving
• DB Skyler Thomas
• LS Beau Gardner

Gardner is the least surprising one from this group, as the Bears had clearly made their decision in the long snapper competition following the release of Luke Elkin. Gardner was a decorated snapper in college, but he's a wild card in the NFL.

Large flew under the radar throughout the offseason with all the attention being on the team's draft pick at the position, Roush. The name fits, as Large stands at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, but he's also an impressive athlete after registering a Relative Athletic score of 8.92 out of 10 coming out of college.

Loving is another impressive athlete, with his RAS coming in at 9.93 out of 10. The UDFA out of Wake Forest had a strong camp and sealed the deal for his 53-man roster spot with a standout showing in the preseason. Loving was one of two athletic D-tackles the Bears added in 2026, along with van den Berg.

Along with Loving, Thomas was one of the highly-paid undrafted free-agent signings after raking in $200,000 in guaranteed money, which was the first sign Chicago was high on him. Thomas offers depth at safety and in the slot.