The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2026 NFL Draft, where they’ll be looking to shore up the roster at key positions of need. Chicago has seven draft picks, including four in the top 89 with a pair of second rounders, which gives general manager Ryan Poles plenty to work with.
The Bears have needs across the board on defense, including on the defensive line both edge rusher and defensive tackle. But Chicago also has a starting safety job to fill, which can only be done through the NFL draft at this point of the offseason. There are two stud safeties who could be available for the Bears in the back half of the first round, including Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
In a new mock draft from Todd McShay, the Bears make a move to trade up to No. 22 with the Los Angeles Chargers, sending Nos. 25 (first round) and 129 (fourth round) in exchange for No. 22, and selecting Thieneman.
Last season, the Bears allowed 61 completions of 20-plus yards (second most in the NFL) and 13 passing touchdowns of 20-plus yards (tied for the most), and four of their top five defensive backs in snaps—Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Nahshon Wright, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson—are now gone. Thieneman brings the range and coverage ability to help clean up those numbers and fill a positional need immediately. He’s both the best player available on my board and the type of rangy, coverage-oriented safety that DC Dennis Allen wants.
The Bears lost both starting safeties this offseason, letting All-Pro Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker walk in free agency. Chicago made a small splash landing Super Bowl champion Coby Bryant to occupy one of those vacant spots, where he brings a ballhawking ability and should thrive in Dennis Allen’s defense.
If the Bears were able to pair Bryant with Thieneman, it would give Allen a dynamic duo in the defensive backfield that would help shore up the secondary and put Chicago in a position to continue to take the ball away after leading the league in takeaways (33) and interceptions (23) in 2025. But would Poles be willing to trade up and part with a draft pick?
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears trade up, land impact defender in 2026 NFL mock draft
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
