Projecting Chicago Bears' Week 1 Starters After 2026 NFL Draft

It was an eventful three days for the Chicago Bears during the 2026 NFL Draft. We would say "roller coaster" is the best, most accurate way to describe it.

Chicago started things off with a bang when it drafted Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. that wasn't the most ideal pick because Chicago needed an edge rusher, but it was still a home-run selection for the Bears since a safety was needed and Thieneman was great value in that spot.

Day 2 was when things got disappointing, to say the least. Instead of addressing the defense further, the Bears went all offense and picked three players who may not contribute much, if anything, next season.

The Bears got back on track on Day 3 by addressing three needs, but the downside was there was still no edge rusher pick. What we did finally get was a cornerback who could start by Week 1, a hard-hitting linebacker and an uber-athletic defensive lineman.

But will any of the Bears' draft picks actually be in the starting lineup by Week 1? Here's what we think.

Offense

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze makes a catch against New York Giants safety Jevon Holland. — Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

QB: Caleb Williams
RB: D'Andre Swift
WR: Rome Odunze
WR: Luther Burden
TE: Colston Loveland
TE: Cole Kmet
LT: Braxton Jones
LG: Joe Thuney
C: Garrett Bradbury
RG: Jonah Jackson
RT: Darnell Wright

It's status quo for the Bears on the offensive side of the ball after the draft. Logan Jones will compete for the center spot, but we'll give the edge to the veteran, Bradbury, for now.

"And once again, that’s just another spot where we’ll have high level competition," head coach Ben Johnson said of Jones at center.

We don't see third-round pick Zavion Thomas being any higher than the WR5 spot behind Kalif Raymond (WR3) and Jahdae Walker (WR4), especially after general manager Ryan Poles pointed out his potential difficulty with picking up the Ben Johnson offense quickly.

Third-round pick Sam Roush is going to compete for the TE3 spot because there has been no indication the Bears are going to move Kmet. We hope for the sake of making that pick look better that he wins it. The Stanford product will be up against Stephen Carlson and Nikola Kalinic.

Defense

Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad (5) celebrates after an interception. — Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

DE: Montez Sweat
DL: Gervon Dexter
DL: Grady Jarrett
DE: Dayo Odeyingbo
LB: Devin Bush
LB: T.J. Edwards
CB: Jaylon Johnson
CB: Malik Muhammad
NCB: Kyler Gordon
FS: Coby Bryant
SS: Dillon Thieneman

It's not that we still see Dayo Odeyingbo atop the depth chart at one edge spot that's depressing, because we expected the big-money 2025 free-agent signing to be there no matter who the Bears drafted. It's the fact that Chicago doesn't have a highly drafted rookie behind him. It's still unfathomable.

That said, we do have two rookies cracking the starting lineup and they are first-round pick Dillon Thieneman and fourth-round pick Malik Muhammad.

Thieneman is as close to a lock as you can get and we would be shocked if he doesn't secure the job. When it comes to the Texas product, a fourth-round pick is no lock to beat out anyone, but he definitely has the right mentality to win that job, and his main competition, Tyrique Stevenson, is very beatable.

John Syty tells a GREAT Malik Muhammad story🤝

Welcome to Chicago🔥 pic.twitter.com/9FkXUKxBBq
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) April 25, 2026

As for the other Day 3 defenders: fifth-round pick Keyshaun Elliott is likely going to be a special teams contributor, and we believe sixth-round pick Jordan van der Berg is a sleeper to get some rotational snaps with his elite athleticism and solid skills when defending the run.

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