Hello Chicago Bears fans! In the first part of this series, I indulged the doom and gloom, the pessimism, the glass-half-empty perspective on the forthcoming 2026 NFL season for the Chicago Bears. I explored five ways it could all go wrong for the Beloved. Today, however, everything is going to be sunny side up. Glass half-full. The bright side of life. We’re going to look at the season with rose-colored glasses on and contemplate: what are the five ways it could all go right for the Bears this season? What great things could happen that, if they do, would propel the Bears into a division championship, a playoff berth, and beyond?
Let’s get to it.
#5 The Bears remain remarkably healthy all season
I started writing this article a few weeks ago, and man, has this one gone the wrong direction. For any extended playoff run, a team has to enjoy above-average health across the season. With the lack of depth on NFL rosters, an injury or two at a key position can absolutely derail the season. The Bears have already lost Coby Bryant for most of, if not all of, the 2026 season; Luther Burden is out until the regular season, and there are a number of players being held out of practice (or holding themselves out of practice, looking at you, Kyler Gordon) with a variety of injuries as we speak. On the bright side, TJ Edwards is back practicing and, in what can only be described as a miracle, Ryan Poles raised the prospects that Ozzy Trapillo could return before the season begins. Assuming the small injuries resolve themselves, Kyler Gordon gets healthy, somehow, and the Bears suffer no more significant injuries over the course of the season (throw salt over my shoulder, knock on wood), the Bears would be well positioned for a run to the playoffs, particularly if Coby Bryant returns to the defense in December.
#4 The young pass-catchers deliver breakout production
With DJ Moore gone, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III are projected for expanded roles. Consider the following projections:
Luther Burden, III: 85–95 receptions, 1,100–1,250 yards, 8–10 touchdowns.
Rome Odunze: 70–80 receptions, 1,150–1,300 yards, 9–12 touchdowns
Colston Loveland: 85–95 receptions, 1,050–1,200 yards, 9–12 touchdowns
As a Chicago Bears fan, projecting a pass catcher to achieve a 1000 yard season is generally viewed as pie-eyed optimism. But what if the Bears offense posts not one, not two, but three 1,000-yard pass catchers in the 2026 season? Something that seemed utterly beyond the realm of possibility in past seasons suddenly falls in the “well, if everything breaks right” area of the probability curve.
Burden showed elite per-route efficiency as a rookie (top-tier yards per route run and YAC). Maintaining even most of that efficiency on an expanded target load, say 110–130+ targets, produces a legitimate 1,100+ yard and a potential double-digit score season, given Burden’s big-play ability after the catch.
That brings us to Rome. He was producing at a strong rate early in 2025 before the foot injury limited him. Full health combined with continued chemistry development between him and Williams, and given his size/speed profile as the vertical/outside threat, it supports a projection for a true 1,000+ yard, high-touchdown season.
As for Colston Loveland, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see him posting a season that places him in the company of Brock Bowers in tight end production in 2026. He exploded late in his rookie year (including playoffs) with heavy target shares and elite efficiency when given a full role. Now in year two of Johnson’s tight-end-friendly scheme, and with him firmly in place as TE1 from game 1, could push him toward 1,000+ yards and double-digit scores, potentially challenging franchise tight end receiving marks and contending for the overall TE1 fantasy spot. Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame TE and former Head Coach for the Chicago Bears, may have reason to look in the rear-view mirror if Loveland delivers on his potential.
If these three combine for big volume (and supporting pieces like Kalif Raymond, Cole Kmet, Zavion Thomas and Sam Roush contribute), the Bears could field one of the more dynamic skill groups in the NFC, stretching defenses and creating easy opportunities for Williams.
#3 The running game and offensive line create sustained balance
The Bears had to fill a big hole on their offensive line with the retirement of Drew Dalman. If Connor Bradbury and Logan Jones can fill that hole, the Bears will basically return an offensive line that dominated last season and rated, with some experts, in the top five offensive lines in the NFL. And since we are being optimistic, let’s assume either that Braxton Jones returns to form, or that Ozzy Trapillo picks up where he left off when he returns from the injury list. This offensive line, now in year two of the Ben Johnson scheme, could actually be better than last year’s group.
With that in mind, and Johnson’s run-heavy scheme, what can we optimistically expect for the Bears running back duo in 2026? D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai already formed a productive tandem in 2025. Consider the following scenario for Swift and Monangai in 2026 where they split carries:
D’Andre Swift: Rushing: 230–250 carries, 1,100–1,250 yards, 9–11 touchdowns
Receiving: 35–45 receptions, 300–400 yards, 1–3 touchdowns
Total: ~1,450–1,600 scrimmage yards and 10–13 total touchdowns
Swift set career highs in 2025 (1,087 rushing yards, 9 rushing TDs, 1,386 scrimmage yards). Consensus projections sit closer to 1,000–1,050 rushing yards and approximately 8 TDs on the ground. Here, he remains the lead back, carrying a load similar to that he did in 2025. If he maintains strong efficiency (he was excellent in EPA and success rate last year), he has the potential to do more with less in 2026.
Kyle Monangai: Rushing: 200–220 carries, 900–1,050 yards, 7–9 touchdowns
Receiving: 25–35 receptions, 200–280 yards.
Total: 1,150–1,300 scrimmage yards and 7–9 total touchdowns
Monangai emerged strongly as a rookie (783 rushing yards and 5 TDs despite limited early-season work). Consensus projections have him around 750–825 rushing yards and 5–6 TDs as the complementary back to Swift. But if the Bears run a true committee, with Kyle soaking up the other non-Swift rushing opportunities that were distributed to other ball carriers in 2025, Monangai’s physical, between-the-tackles style plus short-yardage/red-zone work could see both backs clearing 1,000 rushing yards. Now projecting anything close to two 1000-yard rushing seasons for two backs on the same thing would have been ridiculous in years past. But with the expanded regular season (17 games), 1000 yards in a season is only averaging 58.8 yards per game.
Anchored by Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Darnell Wright—with new center options stabilizing the middle—the line projects as a strength. Dominant protection and run blocking would reduce negative plays, keep Williams clean, and allow the Bears to control the tempo against a difficult slate of opponents. If this happens, then two 1,000-yard rushers for the Bears are well within the realm of possibility.
#2 The defense improves in pass rush and rush defense while limiting big plays
The Bears remade their safeties group in the offseason with big-ticket signing Coby Bryant and first-rounder Dillon Thieneman. They upgraded their linebacking corps by replacing the departing Tremaine Edmunds with Devin Bush. On the defensive line, however, the Bears elected to count on their starters putting in healthy seasons while remaking the defensive line depth and adding an intriguing late-round prospect in Jordan van den Burg.
The Bears’ plan for defense in 2026 has already taken a big blow, with Coby Bryant requiring knee surgery and on a 4-6 month recovery schedule. But I’m here to give you the bright side of things, so let’s start with this: when it comes to stopping the run or giving up big passing plays, the Bears have nowhere to go but up. The Bears were 27th in rushing defense in 2025, and they were 22nd in passing defense. The Bears allowed 66% of passes to be completed and 32 touchdowns. All of that is to say – all things being equal, the Bears should be better than that in 2026. First, because as we noted in #5, they have a healthier defense overall; second, due to the new additions; and third, because this will be the second year for the veterans in the scheme.
Now let’s talk about a rosy scenario for the Chicago Bears defense. On the defensive line, Montez Sweat (who had a good 2025 season) continues to be good, while Austin Booker explodes for a double-digit sack season. Motivated Odeyingbo provides solid rush defense on the edge and contributes the occasional rush. Jordan van den Burg solidifies the interior of the Bears defensive line at the nose, while Big Dex has a contract-year season rushing the passer from the inside. If Gallimore, Street, and a rejuvenated Grady Jarrett can step up, the Bears have the potential to change the narrative on their underperforming defensive line.
Looking to the secondary, if Xavier Woods can give us 85% of what we expected from Coby Bryant, and Thineman can quickly round into shape and lock down the back end, then JJ and Kyler Gordon (yes I’m putting him in here – optimistic remember) should be able to feast in Allen’s scheme. If Stevenson and Muhammed can contribute solid reps over the course of the season, the vaunted Bears secondary may actually materialize in 2026. Meanwhile, Devin Bush and some combination of TJ Edwards and D’Marco Jackson should help the run defense both on the interior and on the outside at the angles.
Continuity under Dennis Allen, plus another year of development for the pass rush (Montez Sweat and others), could yield better pressure rates and more turnovers. A top-half defense that forces 15 or so takeaways while improving against the run would complement the offense – and that’s really all they need to do for this offense-oriented Chicago Bears team.
#1 Caleb Williams posts elite numbers and emerges as a top-tier quarterback
Obviously this one is no surprise. The best path for the Chicago Bears to win the division, make the playoffs, make a run, and compete for a Super Bowl is for Caleb Williams to ascend to the echelon of elite quarterbacks. A survey of scouts, coaches, and executives by ESPN put Caleb around No. 10 overall among quarterbacks, while The Athletic’s Mike Sando placed Caleb in tier 2 and tied for No. 11 overall. Consensus projections place Caleb Williams in the mid-to-high 3,800-yard range with roughly 25–27 touchdowns. But what if Caleb takes the big sophomore (relative to the system) leap this year and works his way into the top 5 (tier 1) conversation? What might that look like? Let’s take a moment and dream:
Caleb Williams: Completions/Attempts: 370 / 560 (66.1%)
Passing yards: 4,450
Passing touchdowns: 35
Interceptions: 8
Yards per attempt: 7.9
Rushing Attempts: 85
Rushing yards: 480
Rushing touchdowns: 5
Total: 40 total touchdowns, 4,930 total yards
How might this occur? Well, I have outlined how it might in our previous entries here – if the rushing attack and young pass catchers turn in elite seasons, it’s almost a certainty that Caleb is posting elite numbers as well. If Caleb continues to be elite at avoiding sacks and interceptions, while improving his completion percentage and passing efficiency, the sky is the limit.
Combine that with Caleb in his second full year in Ben Johnson’s system, a young, ascending supporting cast (Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland) that can create more explosive plays and red-zone efficiency, a defense that isn’t a doormat for opposing offenses, and Ben Johnson continuing to be the creative genius he is with game scripts and aggressive play calling…well, if that’s not a way for the Chicago Bears to win, and perhaps win it all, I don’t know what is.
But what do you think are the ways the Chicago Bears could have everything go right in the 2026 season? Tell us in the comments below!
And remember, glass half full!