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Bear Digest

Rating Chicago Bears Rookie Class Momentum as Preseason Concludes

Rookies develop at different rates but there is one thing clear at this point in preseason about the entire Chicago rookie class.
Gene Chamberlain|
After a quiet start to training camp, rookie third-round tight end Sam Roush is showing up more and more with plays.
After a quiet start to training camp, rookie third-round tight end Sam Roush is showing up more and more with plays. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

As teams come out of training camp and into their work for the regular season, the ideal situation for the rookie class is for everyone to be riding the up elevator.

As the Bears were going into Saturday's last preseason game, it finally looks like this is the case for the entire Bears rookie class of 2026.

Last year the Bears couldn't say this when fifth-round cornerback Zah Frazier was a no-show for camp and Shemar Turner had been fighting through an injury through a big part of training camp. There were even questions about Colston Loveland and Luther Burden as both had gone through offseason and/or camp injury rehab, although at that point both appeared set to move forward.

This class might not have the players who are already wowing people but even Loveland and Burden couldn't say they were at that level yet when the regular season began. What they do have is a group all starting to ascend and showing signs they could contribute.

Momentum belongs to this rookie class and here's where they rank on that Big Mo scale.

1. S Dillon Thieneman

He's come a long way from when he was racing around at high speed and making mistakes early in OTAs. The mistakes will still be there, and it hasn't been easy. He was robbed of the veteran presence alongside in Coby Bryant. So it's been Cam Lewis helping to bring him along so he can start on Day 1.

"Plays fast. Very instinctive," Lewis said of Thieneman. "I feel very comfortable with him. We’re still learning, day-in, day-out, getting on the same page with how we see it, how we want to see it, how we want to disguise (coverages) and stuff like that.

"But he’s been improving every day so I’m lucky to be working with a good rookie like that."

The best thing about Thieneman is he's been doing it every day at practice and in the preseason games with and against starters. The other Bears rookies can't say this.

2. TE Sam Roush

There has been a noticeable uptick in recent practices with Roush's contribution as a receiver. He was already blocking from the day the pads went on. Ben Johnson offered high praise regarding Roush's potential that could only mean he could eventually replace veteran Cole Kmet. The key word here is eventually, not now.

It's a good time for him to be striding forward because they plan on using three-tight end or 13-personnel packages more this year even than last year, when they were among the top 10 at using it but still only 8.5% of the time.

"He's building that trust," Johnson said. "There's flashes where he gets you really, really excited. Is it at the level of consistency that we want yet? No. The answer is no. And I'm not surprised by that either. Yet, I think he's going to be a phenomenal football player for a long time in this league.

"It's just there's a lot of thinking. There's a lot on the plate for a rookie tight end. I think it's right up there with quarterback, just in terms of the amount of mental strain that we put on these guys, run game, pass pro, route running, and the faster we can get him to play, the better off he's going to be in the long run.”

A player like Roush can benefit from playing in the last preseason game, as can all of the rookies except Thieneman and possibly Zavion Thomas.

3. DT Jordan van den Berg

He's not trending down after it appeared he was surging more than the others. It's just a case of others finally starting to pick it up. Johnson called him "a beast." In practice earlier in the week he was less of a factor than he had been last week in the preseason game, but a huge majority of his reps have been against backups. He is one player who could benefit greatly from some time in the preseason finale so the Bears could better gauge how much he's able to contribute.

4. C Logan Jones

Their second-round pick has been on an steady rise since OTAs. He works with the backups, gets good work in and is learning the way a rookie should. He's had good health and as a result has had that ability to learn consistently in games and practice. The game action is extremely valuable for Jones as he learns to recognize defensive fronts and communicate last-second blocking changes.

5. CB Malik Muhammad

The struggles are still there at times as he tries to get through playing slot cornerback, a totally foreign position. He never wavers, though. If beaten, he's back challenging the next play. Johnson talked about Muhammad this week and one possible issue he might have had earlier.

"It's like any rookie, there's always ups and downs," Johnson said. "There's bumps in the road. We're really pleased with the path he's on right now. I think he's doing a great job. He's a competitor.

"Sometimes those young guys, you know little guys in particular, are they willing to tackle to the degree that we want here? I think he's answered that bell. Really excited about his trajectory right now. Going up, little bit down, up. There's some of that going on but overall it's going the right way."

The real positive is when they are in one-on-one work he rarely seems to be embarrassed. He shows up the way a true outside cornerback should.

6. WR Zavion Thomas

Although he's well down the chart, at least Thomas now is working regularly at practice following an injury. His speed will become more apparent and at this point it would be better after the injury if the Bears rested him in the preseason game. They could spring a healthy 4.28-second receiver on the Panthers in the opener.

7. LB Keyshaun Elliott

The only rookie who had been down arrow all camp, it can now be said he's trending up after he was cleared to start practicing this week following a back injury. If he had been sidelined another week, there would have been a good chance he would need to start on injured reserve. Now, players like Ruben Hyppolite II and Jack Sanborn must worry he's coming after their jobs.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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