Where the Bears Rank in the NFC North After Free Agency

After clinching the 2025 NFC North championship, the Chicago Bears will now begin their first division title defense since 2019. While the immediate impact of head coach Ben Johnson, coupled with Caleb Williams' breakout season, can give Bears fans plenty of hope, there are also some real areas of concern. For one thing, Chicago's dominant offensive line from last season is going to look significantly different, with Drew Dalman's shocking retirement forcing the Bears to pivot to a new center, and left tackle Ozzy Trapilo's brutal patellar injury sidelining him until well into the 2026 NFL season.

But the Bears did make some good additions in free agency. Their $40 million agreement with safety Coby Bryant was a homerun, and their $30 million agreement with linebacker Devin Bush has the potential to be one of the most valuable contracts of the 2026 season.

With free agency largely done for this year, where do the Bears rank among their division rivals? Let's dive in.

4. Detroit Lions

It's hard to feel confident in what the Detroit Lions have going for them in 2026. Their offensive line went from world-class in 2024 to average at best in 2025, and now they've lost stalwart left tackle Taylor Decker. They replaced running back David Montgomery with Isiah Pacheco, whose yards per carry (YPC) average has dwindled from 4.9 in his electric rookie season to just 3.9 last year. They also face another year of change at the offensive coordinator position after firing John Morton and hiring Drew Petzing.

Defensively, the Lions are still seeking answers at cornerback, even after the low-risk, high-reward signing of Roger McCreary, while the departure of team captain Alex Anzalone in free agency creates yet another hole on the roster. This isn't to say that the Lions are going to be bad in 2026, but in a loaded NFC North, they seem headed for another last-place finish.

3. Green Bay Packers

Before Packers fans get upset about landing in third in these NFC North rankings, I still expect them to post another double-digit win season in 2026. Like the Lions, however, that probably won't be good enough in this division. Micah Parsons is expected to miss the first four weeks of the season as he recovers from his ACL injury, which could force the Packers to fall behind early. But Parsons isn't the only star player working back from a major injury. Dynamic tight end Tucker Kraft tore his ACL in November, and one has to wonder whether he or Parsons will be as explosive as they were in 2025.

Unfortunately for the Packers, injuries may once again hold them back in 2026. But if they can stay relatively healthy, and if Jordan Love can power a late-season surge, the Packers could be good enough to finally end their three-game playoff losing streak.

Tucker Kraf — Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

2. Minnesota Vikings

Here's my one of my early bold takes for the 2026 NFL season: Kyler Murray is going to have the kind of renaissance season in Minnesota that Sam Darnold did, only to a much higher degree. Murray was the first-overall pick of his class for a reason, and with a good offensive line in front of him, quarterback-guru Kevin O'Connell calling the shots, and Justin Jefferson as his No. 1 option, I see Murray setting new career highs in passing yards and touchdowns.

An offensive explosion, coupled with the continued dominance of Brian Flores' diabolical defense, should power the Vikings to at least 11 wins and a shot at the division title.

1. Chicago Bears

As aforementioned, the Bears' free agency moves were a bit of a mixed bag, but there were no losses big enough to make me believe that the Bears are headed for a major regression. Yes, almost their entire secondary left in free agency, but the fact that they all signed one-year deals with new teams should tell you that the NFL sees them in the same way the Bears did. Some analysts point to all those interceptions from 2025 walking away as evidence of a coming regression, but interceptions tend to be a flukey stat year-to-year, anyway. Besides, the Bears' defense was never even close to healthy in 2025, so a better year in terms of injury luck should make up for a reduction in takeaways.

At worst, the Bears made several lateral moves in free agency, which sets the table nicely for a Year 2 leap in the Caleb Williams-Ben Johnson dynamic. As long as Williams continues to develop into a franchise quarterback and Johnson grows as a head coach, the Bears will be perennial NFC North title contenders, starting with a successful title defense in 2026.

4. Detroit Lions

3. Green Bay Packers

2. Minnesota Vikings

1. Chicago Bears

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