The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, and the Chicago Bears landed a number of players across different positions they hope will become key contributors sooner rather than later.
Chicago focused on defense with their first-round pick, selecting safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 25 overall, before shifting to the offense on Day 2. The Bears picked center Logan Jones, tight end Sam Roush, and wide receiver Zavion Thomas with picks 57, 66, and 89, respectively, providing head coach Ben Johnson with more ammo to run his offense.
On the final day, the Bears turned their attention back to defense, selecting cornerback Malik Muhammad in the fourth round, linebacker Keyshaun Elliot in the fifth round, and trading up for defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg in the sixth round. When the dust settled, seven new prospects at seven different positions joined the team, along with a bevy of undrafted rookie free agents.
As is the case with every draft, the Bears are hoping at least a few picks pan out into dependable starters at the very least, but it will take time for them to develop. But we can start to piece together what the team wants to do and who will be impacted positively or negatively. Here are our winners and losers on the Bears following this year’s draft.
Winner: DC Dennis Allen
Over the last several years, the Bears have focused on offense in the first round of the NFL Draft. In fact, prior to the Thieneman pick, they haven’t selected a defensive player in the first round since 2018, though it’s worth pointing out the Bears didn’t have a first-round pick in three of those years. So when the team wrote down Thieneman’s card, no one had to be happier than defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
The secondary is Allen’s specialty, and he landed his second stud safety this offseason who can seemingly do it all on the football field. He must be salivating at the possibilities of utilizing Thieneman, Coby Bryant, and Kyler Gordon in various positions to disguise coverages. We will really get to see Allen’s creativity this season if all three players can stay healthy. And landing a potential starter in Malik Muhammad on Day 3 is the cherry on top.
Loser: TE Cole Kmet
Cole Kmet lands on the losers list for the second year in a row. Last year, the Bears selected tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 overall, signifying a changing of the guard at the position after Kmet had been the starter for over three years. But at least the two played different roles, and both did their jobs well, with Loveland taking over as TE1 and Kmet dropping behind him. Now, the veteran could see his usage fall even more with the selection of Roush in the second round.
Roush plays the “Y” tight end spot, the same as Kmet, and was considered the best blocker at his position in the draft. The two will share the field in 13 personnel, which the Bears ran the fifth-most in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Network’s Jacob Infante. But with Kmet getting restructured this year, which will pay him over $15 million in 2027, it’s not hard to imagine this being his final season in Chicago. Kmet will contribute this season but could be surpassed by Roush as the season progresses.
Winner: S Coby Bryant
Coby Bryant has only been a Bear for less than two months, and he already received plenty of help next to him with the selection of Thieneman. Both players can play in and out of the box and can take snaps at nickel. This flexibility will be beneficial for the entire secondary, but for Bryant especially. Last season, Bryant played primarily at free safety (over 900 snaps) and spent some time at strong safety (177) and nickel corner (60).
The plan will likely be to keep Bryant at free safety, allowing him to be the ball-hawking playmaker he was in Seattle, but Thieneman gives him and Allen options. Both players will benefit from one another, and the Bears could be on their way towards having a top safety duo in the league.
Loser: C Garrett Bradbury
When the Bears acquired center Garrett Bradbury in a trade with the New England Patriots back in March, it was widely viewed as a one-year rental as the starter. That may not be the case anymore. It was expected the Bears would select a center in the draft, but not many thought it would be with pick No. 57 when they snagged Jones out of Iowa. Jones has plenty of experience from his days as a Hawkeye and could push Bradbury for the starting job sooner than we think. He fits what head coach Ben Johnson likes to run on offense, and the Bears are starving for continuity at the position. Combine that with the fact Jones would be sandwiched in between two stud guards in Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and it makes perfect sense for the Bears to see what they have in the rookie.
This is still Bradbury’s job to lose, and his experience in multiple offenses while working with quarterbacks throughout all stages of their careers is beneficial to the offense. But the clock is ticking on his time as a starter, and the veteran will need to come out strong to keep Jones at bay.
Winner: Bears left tackles
As the NFL Draft crept closer and closer, the idea of the Bears taking a tackle in the first round started to gain traction. The position is somewhat up in the air due to Ozzy Trapilo’s serious knee injury, and the Bears are clearly trying to find a stopgap when they signed former Cleveland Browns first-round pick Jedrick Wills and brought back Braxton Jones on one-year deals. The Bears could have eliminated any doubt by drafting someone like Utah’s Caleb Lomu, who was available at No. 25 overall.
Instead, the Bears focused on defense and opted to not draft a tackle at all. Jones and Wills won’t have to contend with a highly rated rookie in 2026 and will only have to worry about the other veteran tackles on the roster, such as Kiran Amegadjie and Theo Benedet. Trapilo, meanwhile, should have a chance at reclaiming his starting job once healthy. The Bears gave a vote of confidence to that group, now and in the future.
Loser: CB Tyrique Stevenson
The 2026 season is an important one for cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, and he knows it too. The veteran defensive back already posted on social media about wanting to earn a big raise last month, but that won’t come easy. Stevenson will need to battle rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad, who was picked out of Texas in the fourth round, along with second-year corner Zah Frazier and veteran Terell Smith. Muhammad is Stevenson’s biggest threat to take his job, something he already struggled to keep the last two seasons.
Stevenson was dependable for the Bears early on in 2025, solidifying a leaky secondary due to injuries. But when players got healthy, Stevenson became the odd man out and rode the bench down the stretch. He has the same coaching staff in 2026 and increased competition going into camp. Perhaps the position battle will bring out the best in him, but Stevenson has a short leash going into a contract year. That’s not ideal.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears’ winners and losers following the 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by Brendan Sugrue, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
