Bear Digest

Two shocking Bears players finish Top 10 in Pro Bowl fan voting

Chicago Bears fans may have gone a bit overboard with their Pro Bowl votes this year.
Pete Martuneac|
Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The 2025 NFL season still has two weeks remaining, but for the Chicago Bears, it's already gone beyond the wildest dreams of even the most optimistic fan. The Bears are on top of the NFC North after their sensational comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers last Saturday night and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2020, thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers' stunning victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. They even have a viable path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Everything this year has seemingly come together for Chicago. Most importantly, however, Bears fans know that head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams are the future of this franchise, and that has the fan base fired up like it hasn't been in years. That passion is showing up in the stands at every game, and now it's showing up in the fan voting for the 2026 NFL Pro Bowl games.

NFL insider Tom Pelissero posted the final results of the fan voting period for this year's Pro Bowl, which closed last Sunday, in a post on X (formerly Twitter). In the image shared by Pelissero, the Top 10 players from each position group are ranked by fan voting, and the list is littered with Bears players, almost all of whom are deserving of their inclusion.

But if we're being fair, there are a couple of names that stood out as head scratchers: Nick McCloud, listed at No. 8 for cornerbacks, and Theo Benedet, No. 6 for offensive tackles.

Bears fans love their team, nearly to the point of delusion

I mean no disrespect whatsoever to McCloud or Benedet. Merely by being on an NFL active roster, they've proven to be among the very best in the world at what they do. You could grab a cornerback or offensive tackle from one of the best college teams, and they would get embarrassed by McCloud and Benedet.

However, among their peers in the NFL, they are not considered top players. Benedet struggled quite a bit at left tackle when he took the starting job from veteran Braxton Jones early this season. In Week 12, he was ruled out with an injury that opened the door for fellow rookie Ozzy Trapilo, who took the starting job and never looked back. Benedet has been on the field for just five snaps since then.

As for McCloud, he's been a massive liability for Chicago's defense while filling in for injured starters. According to PFF, McCloud is allowing a nearly perfect 149.2 passer rating when targeted this year, the third-highest mark in the NFL.

To repeat, this is not meant to disrespect these two dedicated players, but is McCloud really the eighth-best cornerback in the NFL? Is Benedet, who hasn't played since Week 11, a better offensive tackle than Philadelphia's Lane Johnson? You have to love the passion for this Chicago Bears fan base and their commitment to getting their best players to the Pro Bowl, but they may have gone a bit overboard with their voting this year.

Chicago Bear
Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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