The Chicago Bears and the rest of the NFL are officially in draft mode as the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and every team in the league will use it to better their future.
That includes the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions, who all finished a tick behind the NFC North champion Bears last season. With a few additions, they are all threats to improve their records from a year ago. The Bears are one loss to either of them away from being passed up in the standings, but everything went Chicago’s way in the end. They must prepare for things to be harder in 2026, including their division rivals.
The Packers were right there with the Bears. They lost their best player, Micah Parsons, to injury, and Chicago still needed a couple of miracle plays to beat them in the regular season and the playoffs. The Lions had a tough first year without Ben Johnson running their offense, but Dan Campbell still had his team 9-8. Improving on that again in 2026 is not only possible for Detroit, but it may be likely.
Then there is the Minnesota Vikings. If Devin Duvernay didn’t have a miraculous return set up amazing field position for the Bears in one of the games against the Vikings, Minnesota would have been a favorite to win the division. Instead, they missed the playoffs because Green Bay had the tie on their resume, pushing them ahead by half a game.
These facts are a reminder that the Bears must be wise with their draft selections and any other moves that they make this offseason when preparing for the 2026 season. Nothing is going to be handed to them.
For one, Chicago led the NFL in takeaways (33) and interceptions (23) in 2025. Not only is that unlikely to happen again, but it’s also almost guaranteed to not happen again if they finish with a bottom five pass rush. Addressing that issue is a must.
Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman also retired, which garners a question mark for the future. While they traded for Garrett Bradbury, he’s only under contract for one year, so drafting a long-term solution at center is in play in the NFL Draft. The Bears will once again have a left tackle competition this summer with Ozzy Trapilo expected to miss most of the 2026 season, where Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet and Jedrick Wills Jr. are currently the contenders. But don’t be shocked if Chicago drafts a potential long-term answer at left tackle.
All four NFC North teams have draft picks with scouting departments that they trust as well, especially lately, so the Bears must prepare knowing that they have a target on their back now. With this, plus a first-place schedule on the horizon, they must come in knowing they have to go above and beyond to be ready. It starts now with the draft.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: NFC North won’t be handed to Chicago Bears without improvements
Reporting by Vincent Parise, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
