The Chicago Bears shored up their roster with seven new additions in the 2026 NFL Draft, including reinforcements in the secondary for Dennis Allen’s defense. Chicago let the board fall to them throughout the draft, and they weren’t overly aggressive in moving up on Days 1 and 2. But it sounds like that was in consideration.
According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, the Bears were looking to potentially trade up in the second round but ultimately decided to remain put at No. 57, where they selected Iowa center Logan Jones. Per Fowler, Chicago was showing interest in Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood.
The Bears eyed a trade-up in the second round but chose to stand pat. They were high on Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, who went No. 37 to the Giants. Chicago figured its No. 25 pick, Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, would be gone in the top 20, so perhaps Hood would’ve been a viable fallback option there if Thieneman was off the board.
The Bears ultimately did wind up trading up for a cornerback in this draft, moving up on Day 3 to select Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad in the fourth round. Muhammad is a potential late-round steal who has the potential to compete for a starting job as a rookie opposite Jaylon Johnson on the outside.
Chicago also traded both seventh-round picks to the Buffalo Bills to move up in the sixth round and select defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg, who Fowler noted the Bears believe they’re “getting a steal.”
Several of his testing numbers hit the highest mark on the Bears’ internal scouting scale. My sense is the Bears have plans for him beyond that of a typical sixth-round flier and believe he was one of more gifted defensive tackles in the draft.
After the impact of last year’s draft class, led by tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III, general manager Ryan Poles is hoping that this one has a similar impact in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears were considering trading up in second round of 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
