Chicago Bears rookie third-round wide receiver Zavion Thomas could emerge as "a valuable gadget player on offense" in Chicago in his first year in the NFL while also contributing his 4.28-second 40-yard-dash speed as a returner on special teams, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN. Cronin questions whether head coach Ben Johnson has his next Jahmyr Gibbs, especially after the versatile speedster made plays during the offseason program and was labeled "electric" by teammates as he enters his first year in the league. The 21-year-old out of LSU obviously has big-play abilities because of his high-end speed, but in terms of playing time in his rookie season, that's going to be hard to come by with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Kalif Raymond, and tight end Colston Loveland ahead of him on the depth chart. But if Thomas impresses as a gadget player early on, Johnson will surely manufacture more touches for him. For now, Thomas is merely a deep dynasty/keeper stash who will see most of his playing time on special teams
It might be time to rethink our expectations for veteran Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift heading into a critical 2026 campaign. Some of us (pointing squarely at myself here) have been skeptical of Swift’s upside in the Bears offense long-term, even after he experienced a monster turnaround last season when Ben Johnson, his former offensive coordinator in Detroit , took over as Chicago’s head coach. Both his absolute production (1,087 rushing yards and nine touchdowns) and his advanced metrics pointed to one of the most improved backs in the league from 2024 to 2025, with Johnson’s focus on the run game and overall offensive competence a big reason for the positive change. Turns out, Johnson thinks the 27-year-old back can still take things to another level this season—the final year of his current deal in Chicago. “He’s a dynamic player,” Johnson said, via the Bears’ website . “I’ve known that about him since he came into the league, firsthand up there in Detroit, and certainly last year I wasn’t surprised about the year he had. So, is he capable of more? Absolutely. He absolutely is. He’s a vital part of what we do here.” Swift hinted in an offseason presser that he agrees with his coach’s assessment, specifically noting that he feels he “ left some [plays] out there ” that could’ve helped him and the Bears offense have an even bigger year. He’s not wrong about that, as you could say for just about any player. But the important part is that Swift did far more good than bad for Chicago last year despite that being true. And the Bears, as currently constructed, no doubt have plans on using him a lot in 2026. Right now, even with Kyle Monangai returning and rookie Zavion Thomas potentially getting a carry or two here and there as a rookie, Swift is clearly the lead dog in that backfield and showed last year he can make the explosive plays Johnson loves out of this offense more consistently than anyone in the room. Unless we see a major trade for another vet, which feels unlikely given where the Bears are cap-wise, that’s not going to change. Swift will continue to carry the majority of the load both in the run and pass game, with Monangai serving as the change-of-pace thunder to his lightning. While the Bears’ championship aspirations depend significantly on the growth of Caleb Williams and the passing game in the star quarterback’s third year, Chicago’s run game will set the tone for this offense as long as Johnson remains head coach. And Swift, for the time being, is the head of the snake in that regard. Unlike last year, that actually feels like a strength heading into the season
Bears coach Ben Johnson believes running back D'Andre Swift is capable of even more than his career-high rushing yards and nine touchdowns last season, calling him a "vital part" of the offense and a "dynamic player" with the ball in his hands
Bears coach Ben Johnson praised running back D'Andre Swift, calling him a "vital part" of the offense and believing he is "capable of more" than his career-high 1,087 rushing yards and nine touchdowns last season. Johnson, who previously coached Swift with the Lions, highlighted Swift's dynamic playmaking ability
A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai recorded 947 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 187 touches across 17 games as a rookie. Monangai entered the season firmly behind veteran Bears back D'Andre Swift on the depth chart, but Monangai worked his way into a more even playing time split by the end of the season. From Week 12 through the end of the regular season, neither Bears running back played more than 59% or fewer than 41% of the team's offensive snaps. In 2026, both backs will likely play significant roles in what should be a very strong Bears running game. However, Swift will be a free agent at season's end and may not be in Chicago's long-term plans. Given his production as a rookie and his pathway to RB1 duties in Chicago, Monangai profiles as a clear dynasty buy ahead of 2026
Chase Brown had a slow start to last year, largely due to the Joe Burrow injury that resulted in Jake Browning getting four starts. The running back averaged just 2.46 yards per carry through Week 5, but then turned it around and averaged 5.14 yards per carry after Joe Flacco took over for Browning and then Burrow returned to the field. Still, that slow start has the quick running back’s stock dropping to the point that coaches, scouts, and executives do not consider him to be among the top ten backs in the NFL, according to a survey conducted by ESPN . In his article on the survey, Jeremy Fowler shared the list of top-10 running backs and explained how it came together: Voters gave their own top 10 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen as well as ESPN Research. More than 70 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions. Additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed contributed to placements. Here’s the list: Bijan Robinson , Atlanta Falcons Jahmyr Gibbs , Detroit Lions Saquon Barkley , Philadelphia Eagles Christian McCaffrey , San Francisco 49ers Jonathan Taylor , Indianapolis Colts Derrick Henry , Baltimore Ravens James Cook III , Buffalo Bills De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs Breece Hall , New York Jets It’s easy to see why Brown would be left out of the top seven. And Walker is coming off a Super Bowl MVP performance. But Brown could arguably be better than Hall. Now here’s the interesting part: Brown wasn’t even included among the honorable mentions, who were Josh Jacobs ( Green Bay Packers ), Kyren Williams ( Los Angeles Rams ), and Quinshon Judkins ( Cleveland Browns ). Brown was, however, mentioned among those who also received votes, along with D’Andre Swift, Javonte Williams , Ashton Jeanty , TreVeyon Henderson , Travis Etienne Jr. , and Alvin Kamara
As we move forward with our training camp battle series, we move to the offensive side of the ball, where we have an interesting development at running back. We know what the top of the Bears running back room is going to look like. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are going to be splitting the carries. As long as the two of them remain healthy, there will be very little room for any other running backs to get any carries on this offense. But we are all football fans; we understand the running back position. It carries a physical pounding, and running backs are constantly getting nicked up. Swift has stayed relatively healthy throughout his career, but he’s only had one season out of six in which he played in every game. Who will be the running back looking to fill the gap if Swift or Monangai goes down? That’s anybody’s guess. If you had asked me that question a year ago, I would have said Roschon Johnson without hesitation. But that doesn’t necessarily seem like the right answer. Johnson’s career has largely derailed. After a solid rookie campaign where Johnson had over 500 yards from scrimmage and averaged about 5 yards a touch, in his second season, he became a short-yardage back, averaging less than 3 yards a carry. Last season, he had a hard time staying healthy. He did manage to play seven games, but that was largely on special teams. In those seven games in Ben Johnson’s offense, Roschon had just two carries for the entire season. The running back with the third most carries on the team happened to be Brittain Brown (with a whopping five). Those five carries are all of Brown’s career regular-season NFL carries. Some of you might be saying, sure, but he’s young; he has a chance to get more opportunities this year. What if I told you Brittain Brown turns 29 years old this October? Brown spent six years in college, and then largely spent three years on the Raiders and Seahawks practice squads before coming over to the Bears last year. Brown may be a decent backup this year, but he’s not a prospect. In fact, he’s more than three years older than Roschon Johnson. The biggest surprise, in my eyes, about this training camp battle is that these are the only two running backs involved in the training camp battle. I fully expected the Bears to sign a cheap veteran running back into the room this past offseason, but they chose not to do it. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t expecting anything flashy, but I was expecting a vet-minimum type signing or a one-year, $2 million signing as they did with D’Onta Foreman a few years ago. But Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles chose to roll with the guys they have. Clearly, they expect Swift and Monangai to get 95% of the running back carries, and that there was just no need for any money to be invested into an RB3, but if one of them gets hurt, in my eyes, neither back has the makeup to go out there and give the Bears 25 rushing attempts per game for 3 or 4 consecutive games. The RB3 competition consists of a career practice squad player against a fourth-round pick entering the final year of his contract, who appears to have fallen out of favor with this coaching staff. There’s a good chance the Bears only keep three running backs on the 53-man roster. Johnson does contribute quite a bit on special teams, but also appears to offer very little offensively in Ben Johnson’s eyes. Brown offers far less on special teams. Brown had just 17 special teams snaps in his three games. Johnson had 102 in seven. How does this one play out? I think Johnson makes the 53-man roster as a special teams player and only plays running back if the team is forced to use him there. I expect Brown to safely slide to the practice squad. If there’s an injury to Swift or Monangai and they are forced to miss a game or more, I expect the Bears to elevate Brown to the 53-man roster as the team’s RB2, and Brown would get the carries over Johnson. So while I think Johnson earns the roster spot, I think Brown wins the compet
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ESPN has started releasing their Top 10 position lists for the 2026 NFL season, and started with running backs . In what should be no surprise, Eagles RB Saquon Barkley lands on the list at No. 3 overall, down from No. 1 last offseason. Jeremy Fowler makes it clear in the article that the rankings are not a future projection, or a career-inclusive award, but rather best tried to answer who the best running back in the league is right now . Despite a drop in production in 2025, the coaches, scouts, and team personnel around the league didn’t penalize Barkley for his performance that followed a 2,000-yard season when it came to voting. “I’m not going to penalize him for a terrible all-around offense last year,” a high-ranking personnel official with an NFL team said, according to ESPN . “He’s still a three-down weapon and if I needed a running back for one season I’m still taking him 1.” One NFL coordinator explained that his only criticism of Barkley is that he doesn’t always produce when everything isn’t set up perfectly, with the RB needing lanes to be completely clean — something the coordinator said dates back to Barkley’s time with the Giants. We got to see a taste of that last season with the offensive line struggled and he tried to stretch the field with fancy footwork instead of a bull-like approach. Still, no one is questioning Barkley’s ability to be a game-changer, and hopefully with changes to the offensive scheme and coaching staff, things will be more cohesive for everyone in 2026. Full Top 10 RB list: Bijan Robinson Jahmyr Gibbs Saquon Barkley Christian McCaffrey Jonathan Taylor Derrick Henry James Cook III De’Von Achane Kenneth Walker III Breece Hall Three players received honorable mention — Josh Jacobs , Kyren Williams , Quinshon Judkins — and several other players received votes, including: D’Andre Swift, Javonte Williams , Chase Brown , Ashton Jeanty , TreVeyon Henderson , Travis Etienne Jr. , Alvin Kamara
With about four weeks until Detroit Lions training camp, it’s time to take inventory not just of the team’s roster, but of their biggest rivals. So on this week’s PODcast, we started comparing the Lions’ roster with those of the other NFC North teams. Can the Lions climb back atop the division and earn their third NFC North crown in four years? Well, let’s compare the roster. On this episode, we kick things off with most of the skill-position players. The PODcast crew ranks each team’s quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receiver groups, all individually. Starting with quarterback, there’s a lot of contention. While it’s pretty easy to slot the Vikings at fourth with their quarterback situation in flux, Chicago ’s Caleb Williams and the advanced-statistic darling Jordan Love appear to be gaining ground on Jared Goff. Many will tell you a guy like Love has already surpassed Goff. Is that true? Our crew debates. When it comes to running back, Jahmyr Gibbs is the clear top option in the division. However, is Chicago’s one-two punch of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai more valuable? Does Detroit’s lack of proven depth pull them out of the top spot? And how screwed are the Packers if Josh Jacobs —the consensus No. 2 back in the division—faces any legal consequences from his offseason arrest? At wide receiver, there’s a ton of youth and promise across the entire NFC North, but there are two clear front-runners for the top spot. We have our most contentious debate of the podcast comparing the Lions’ and Vikings’ receiver groups. All of those conversations kick off in the second segment of the show—around the 42:20 mark of the episode. The first segment is devoted to the latest Lions news—all surrounding some recent lists. Is Jack Campbell too low (#88) on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 list ? Is Jahmyr Gibbs the No. 2 back in the NFL ? Does Detroit really have the sixth-best roster in the league ? All of those questions are answered in the first half of the show. You can catch the entire episode using whatever podcasting platform you prefer by searching “Pride of Detroit .” Or, for your convenience, you can just listen using the Spotify embed below. You can also catch the video version of the PODcast on YouTube and Twitch . While you’re listening, share your NFC North team rankings for quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers in the comment section below
Aside from the edge position, there’s one spot on the Chicago Bears roster that, honestly, could’ve used a slight upgrade: running back. Yes, D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai were among the best running back duos in the NFL last year, and Swift had a career year in 2025 after struggling in his first Bears season under Ben Johnson, racking up 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns. But it’s hard not to wonder if Johnson, who once drafted one of the most dynamic running backs in the league No. 12 overall in Jahmyr Gibbs , wants a little more juice in his running back room going forward. The Bears opted not to make a splash at that position in the 2026 NFL Draft aside from taking a flyer on a multidimensional threat in Zavion Thomas, who might some backfield touches, which suggests they might be content to keep that group more or less the same this year. But if they want to make a splash, ESPN’s Ben Solak has a bold move for Johnson, Ryan Poles, and the Bears: trading for star Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. “Taylor is approaching the last year on his deal, so the Colts will need to decide if they want to give the 27-year-old a big third contract,” Solak explained. “…If the Colts come out of the gates slow and consider an organizational change midseason, then Taylor surely would draw trade interest. His start to 2025 proved he still has ‘best RB in the league’ potential left in his legs, especially if his total touches are more carefully managed. A playoff-aspiring team that has viable change-of-pace backs but no dominant starter would love to grab Taylor for a one-year rental. Should he perform well, that team could give him that two-year, pay-as-we-go extension that running backs often get with their third contract. “The Bears make perfect sense. D’Andre Swift had a strong 2025 season, but he has not been reliable and has dealt with injuries for much of his career. Kyle Monangai is a likable thumper but not for more than 10 or so carries per game. If the Bears’ offense coalesces into a top-five unit — certainly possible given how they finished the 2025 season — the team might be fishing at the deadline for a field-tipping running back to give it an additional edge. Chicago’s rushing attack led the league in success rate last season, thanks in large part to great line play and excellent scheming from coach Ben Johnson. Now imagine that group with a home run hitter like Taylor breaking into the second level.” Now, before we get too excited, let’s think realistically about the Bears and their roster decisions. Poles has often hunted for value and bargains rather than taking swings just for the sake of it. Taylor, while awesome, is a luxury more than a need, and the Bears have to be wary of their salary cap situation, especially as massive extensions loom for key young players like quarterback Caleb Williams . What’s more: it might make more sense to keep that money in the tuck in case the Bears find a defensive player—particularly a defensive front guy—that can help that side of the ball more this year. But man…wouldn’t that be fun? The idea of Taylor behind a solid, road-grating offensive line lighting up opposing defenses for massive chunk plays while softening teams up for Williams and the young pass-catching corps of Colston Loveland , Rome Odunze , and Luther Burden III to gash them over the top. (Plus, Taylor is a threat as a pass-catcher, too.) Given the way the Bears proved they want to play in the colder months—dominating teams by controlling the line of scrimmage—adding Taylor would be a monster addition if the Bears could pull it off without giving up too much. That last part is the key. With Taylor approaching his late 20s and racking up the miles on his body, it’s conceivable the Bears could get away with giving up an early Day 3 pick—call it a fourth-rounder—to acquire his services. Anything more than that probably has to be a “no” from Chicago’s side. Here’s the thing: if the Bears are really tr
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The Chicago Bears battled back and forth with the San Francisco 49ers on December 28th, 2025, in a primetime Sunday Night Football matchup that was a thing of offensive beauty. It featured five ties, 80 points, and 936 yards of offense. The visiting Bears tied the game up at 35 a few seconds into the fourth quarter on a D’Andre Swift 22-yard touchdown run, and then took the lead on a Caro Santos field goal with 5:22 left in the game. But the ‘Niners would not be denied as they came back with a s 38-yard TD pass from Brock Purdy to Jauan Jennings to take the lead, 42 to 38, with 2:15 left on the clock. The Bears ran 16 plays trying for the go-ahead score, but this comeback fell short. Regardless, it was an exciting game, and while it didn’t make many year-end highlight packages for the Bears (because of the L), it did feature one of the best play calls of the 2025 season from Chicago head coach Ben Johnson. The social media account Film Watchers does a good job of breaking down plays in a quick and concise manner, and they recently picked a Caleb Williams to Luther Burden II touchdown in the first quarter of that game as the best playcall of the year. Relive it here with the breakdown!
A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai recorded 947 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 187 touches across 17 games. Monangai split backfield work with Bears veteran D'Andre Swift in 2025, and both backs remain on Chicago's roster entering 2026. While Swift's presence could continue to limit Monangai's workload ceiling, Monangai profiles as the more physical downhill rusher of the two and may take on a larger early-down and goal-line role in his second NFL season. Even if the Bears continue to operate with a backfield split in the short term, 2026 is Swift's final season under contract with Chicago. If the competition between the two backs is close, it would not be surprising to see the Bears' coaching staff push more onto the plate of Monangai. Given Monangai's status as an up-and-coming back in a strong Chicago running game, he may be undervalued by redraft ADP as the RB33
The 2026 season will mark Ryan Poles’ fifth season as general manager of the Chicago Bears . Things are trending in the right direction for his regime, seeing as though the Bears won the NFC North last year and won their first playoff game since the 2010-11 season. It took a little while for things to get rolling, but Poles has the Bears trending in the right direction heading into 2026. It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, as I highlighted when ranking his five worst moves as the team’s general manager. However, in order to get his team into the playoffs and winning double-digit games, you clearly have to have done some things right. After shining light on the bad, let’s do the same with the good. These are Ryan Poles’ five best moves as the general manager of the Bears. Drafting Luther Burden III in Round 2 Drafting Kyle Monangai in Round 7 Surprising everyone by taking Colston Loveland in Round 1 I’ve put three of the Bears’ 2025 draft picks into the honorable mentions list because the players are all so early in their NFL careers. However, their draft haul looks to have strengthened an already strong offensive foundation on their roster, and that’s not even including the encouraging flashes Ozzy Trapilo showed at left tackle before he got hurt. Luther Burden III is an elite YAC threat who was incredibly efficient last year, to the tune of his ranking No. 11 in the NFL in PFN WR Impact Scoring . Colston Loveland ranked No. 6 in their corresponding metric for tight ends , working the seam and stretching the field much better than the average tight end, especially among rookies. Kyle Monangai also proved to be a tough, tenacious runner who served as a stellar complement to D’Andre Swift. All three selections have aged incredibly well thus far and could certainly move up these rankings in due time. This isn’t one specific move as much as it is an overarching theme in Poles’ tenure as the Bears’ general manager. When he took over in the role, his predecessor Ryan Pace left the Bears in the bottom 10 in cap space. With an aging roster that clearly wasn’t going to compete, Poles inherited several bad contracts, releasing several overpaid veterans and trading others who still had trade value. In his first year as general manager, Chicago led the NFL with over $93 million in dead cap . Some of that dead cap carried over to 2023, but in each of the last three offseasons, the Bears have had a tremendous lack of dead cap space compared to what Poles inherited early on. They ranked 26th in dead cap in 2024, 32nd in 2025, and 22nd in 2026. The DJ Moore trade is eating most of that dead cap this year, and there will be no dead cap on him or any other 53-man rosterable player in 2027, as of this writing. That’s a testament to how well Poles and his regime have managed their finances. The Bears traded for Joe Thuney last offseason when he was already 32 years old, so they went into their trade with the Chiefs knowing the move would likely be a short-term one. That said, coming off a 2024 season in which Chicago had significantly struggled to keep Caleb Williams upright in his rookie year, they desperately needed stability along their offensive line. To say that Thuney gave them stability at left guard would be an understatement. He was outright dominant in 2025, earning the inaugural Protector of the Year award in 2025, along with first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition. His presence helped give Williams a much more clean pocket than what he had in Year 1, and Thuney’s consistency in their run to the playoffs made him such a valuable asset. Though the Bears lost the game, his ability to kick outside at left tackle and perform well in their Divisional Round game against the Rams was admirable, too. To our readers who aren’t as active on social media, I’ll simply say that you made the right decision in the late winer and early spring of 2024. The Bears Twitter Civil War was the most divided I’ve ever seen this fanbase. I
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Everyone has their favorite way to play fantasy football, but what makes dynasty so special is that transactions can be made anytime, anywhere. With the marketplace always fluctuating, there is an opportunity for trading. I’ve got two players to buy and two to sell today, so you can keep your teams fresh and stacked for the upcoming season. Let’s get started with a big sell from the Big Apple! This one may be a little unpopular, but hear me out. Jaxson Dart put together a strong rookie season, finishing as a top-five fantasy quarterback four times last year. While he struggled with some throws, evidenced by his 92.2 True Passer Rating (28th in the league), his rushing production carried his fantasy profile. Dart had six games with at least 50 yards rushing and nine rushing touchdowns, which tied him with running backs D’Andre Swift and TreVeyon Henderson , who each had 9 rushing touchdowns. But my cause for concern is the situation that he is walking into for 2026. He’s got no Wan’Dale Robinson (140 targets), and Malik Nabers may not be at 100% until mid-season. Here’s Part 2 of my practice notes, focused on the action on the field: • John Harbaugh called Jaxson Dart ‘s adjustment to the new offense a “work in progress.” That’s an accurate description. He looks a lot like he did last offseason when he was often indecisive in the pocket.… — Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) June 8, 2026 The Giants have rededicated themselves to the run, and their biggest offensive addition was Isaiah Likely , which also hints at more two-tight-end sets with Theo Johnson . In dynasty startups, I would rather have Trevor Lawrence , Brock Purdy , and Dak Prescott . A;; three are currently going off the board after the Giants’ signal-caller. Dart is fine and holds plenty of upside, but if you have him, you could easily trade him away for a solid passer and additional assets to strengthen other areas of your team. Suggesting to sell off the WR2 on a potent offense, what could go wrong?! Jameson Williams has some of the highest highs of any receiver, but unfortunately, he pairs those peaks with some dark, desolate valleys. Williams had seven games in which he finished as a top-12 fantasy wide receiver for the week, which is incredible. However, the other side of that story is that he had seven games in which he finished outside the top 50 fantasy wide receivers for the week. Two of those weeks, he finished with zero fantasy points despite recording a snap share above 85% in both games. Detroit is bringing in a new offensive coordinator who loves to establish a physical offensive game plan. Is Jameson Williams worth the unpredictability? 🤔 @AndrewErickson_ @Fitz_FF pic.twitter.com/UQedgo7x32 — FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) May 27, 2026 Not only will Williams have to work on understanding a new offensive scheme, but second-year wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa has already made an impression on the new OC as he continues to develop. If you are unsure if now is the time to sell, just wait until late July when Dan Campbell praises Williams for his work ethic. It happens like clockwork every offseason, and the buy window will be wide open at that point! RELATED: Pads, Blocks, End Zone Locks | Dynasty Running Backs to Target in 2026 The ADP of Rachaad White makes absolutely no sense to me. He is currently going in the late 13th round of superflex dynasty start-ups and the middle of the 10th round of Underdog best ball drafts. White finds himself no longer in Tampa Bay, but now in Washington behind superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels . It is easy to see how he can be a top rusher compared to his running back cohorts, such as Jacory Croskey-Merritt , Kaytron Allen , and Jerome Ford . What makes me even more excited about White’s potential in 2026 is his ability to catch passes. Get used to seeing this a lot this season. Commanders RB Rachaad White catching passes out of the backfield. pic.twitter.com/kS8krQazZo — Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) June 9, 2026 White h
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It’s that time of year again, folks: padless football is back in action, and us football-starved junkies can’t help but be glad. (That’s all we get to hold us over for the next month until training camp starts. Plus, it’s way more fun to think about than whatever’s going on with the Chicago Bears’ stadium saga.) And, despite every impulse telling us not to read too much into it, you can’t deny it’s nice to see third-round rookie Zavion Thomas pop up with a highlight play or two in the few glimpses we’ve gotten of the Chicago Bears during this off-season phase. At one point during OTAs, Thomas got loose for a long sideline grab from QB1 Caleb Williams and later showed off his speed on a screen pass during minicamp. On a team with a lot of good skill players, from Rome Odunze on down to D’Andre Swift , there’s no denying someone like Thomas simply looks different. Football is not a game you win just by being fast. But speed in the right hands can kill, and that’s what head coach Ben Johnson was thinking when he reached for Thomas with the 89th overall pick in the draft. “If we can harness all this energy and make sure that we can trust him and that he’s going to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to, we really could use him, and he could be a big weapon for us this year. But that’s what we’re trying to harness right now,” Johnson told reporters of Thomas . “I think he’s developing the work ethic that we expect, not only from a receiver, but from anyone on offense, or the team.” Thomas was certainly a curious pick at that stage, given the other, much more polished prospects available in the third round. But the reasoning for drafting him (at some point) is obvious: with a coaching staff that can develop him, he has the potential to become a game-changing weapon in the slot, out of the backfield, and in the return game. The Bears have possession receivers (Odunze), matchup nightmares ( Colston Loveland ), YAC monsters ( Luther Burden III ), and a stable of solid running backs in Swift and Kyle Monangai . What they don’t have? A straight-up burner . Though Thomas isn’t likely to be Tyreek Hill or even Jameson Williams , whom Johnson oversaw the drafting of while with the Lions, his 4.28 40 time and toughness with the ball in his hands is tantalizing (if he can consistently catch it). Of course, that’s the thing: looking good in OTAs and minicamp, or even the first few days of training camp, doesn’t guarantee success. As a former Patriots beat reporter, I’ve watched Tyquan Thornton show signs of production in minicamp and training camp, only to eventually disappear and get traded away from the team. And while he looks like a more traditionally functional player than Velus Jones Jr., it’s hard to completely disregard that comparison. Speed always pops when the pads aren’t on and no one can hit you. But when it’s time to run real routes and beat coverage not just with physicality but with nuance and technical skill, can Thomas do that? His college stats, in addition to him being (generously) sixth on the pass-catching pecking order in the early going with this roster, suggest we shouldn’t be expecting some Rookie-of-the-Year-level breakout from him. Then again, I don’t think the Chicago Bears need or want that from him at all. Even if he’s nowhere near ready to be a third or fourth option at this stage in his career, just putting him on the field will make defenses think. Depending on what he does in training camp and in preseason games, getting the ball in his hands with schemed touches once or twice a game feels reasonable to keep opponents honest. The bottom line: let’s keep the expectations low for Thomas as a rookie—draft pedigree be damned—and give Johnson’s forward-thinking vision a chance to work. As we saw with Burden last year, sometimes it’s best to get a talented player before you need him. That way, you won’t find yourself regretting not swinging when you had the chance. If there’s a
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The 2026 NFL season is a few months away, and the anticipation for week one is at an extremely high level. As the NFL Network has done their player consensus Top 100 ranking each year, Windy City Gridiron’s staff has put together a roundtable over the last few seasons of the best players in the NFC North. With six contributors pitching in for this year’s roundtable, there was a strong diversity of opinions that provided for some entertaining rankings. Before we get started, let’s set up the ground rules. Each WCG participant was asked to send their top 32 players in the NFC North. A player’s ranking determined how many points they would receive (32 points for first, 31 points for second, etc.), and the total points were added up to create the rankings. Note: Tiebreakers will be broken by whichever player appeared on more ballots. If that total is the same, then the tiebreaker will go to whichever player received the highest ranking on an individual ballot. If that scenario also does not result in a clear winner, ballot organizer Jacob Infante will break the tie. 21. Lions TE Sam LaPorta 22. Packers QB Jordan Love 23. Lions WR Jameson Williams 24. Packers RB Josh Jacobs 25. Bears EDGE Montez Sweat 26. Packers LB Edgerrin Cooper 27. Bears S Coby Bryant 28. Bears LB Devin Bush 29. Bears CB Kyler Gordon 30. Vikings OT Brian O’Neill 31. Vikings WR Jordan Addison 32. Bears G Jonah Jackson 33. Bears WR Luther Burden III 34. Bears WR Rome Odunze 35. Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson 36. Bears S Dillon Thieneman 37. Packers WR Jayden Reed 38. Vikings LB Blake Cashman 39. Lions DT Alim McNeill 40. Lions OT Blake Miller 41. Vikings WR Jauan Jennings 42. Bears RB D’Andre Swift 43. Packers WR Christian Watson 44. Packers DT Javon Hargrave 45. Vikings G Will Fries 46. Lions CB D.J. Reed Jr. 47. Packers DT Devonte Wyatt 48. Lions G Tate Ratledge 49. Packers LB Zaire Franklin 50. Vikings CB James Pierre Highest Ranking: 14 (Mongo) Last Year’s Ranking : No. 8 Kerby Joseph only appeared in six games last year due to injury, which makes it all the more impressive he still had three interceptions in 2025. He’s allowed a sub-60.0% completion rate in coverage each of his last three seasons, and he has a career allowed passer rating of just 66.2. There are concerns about his health heading into the new year, but when healthy, he’s one of the best safeties in the NFL. Highest Ranking: 9 (Wiltfong) Last Year’s Ranking: No. 47 Coming off the best year of his NFL career, Jack Campbell has had an eventful 12 months with a Pro Bowl appearance, a first-team All-Pro nomination, and most importantly, a big rise up these rankings. Campbell had 176 tackles in 17 games with 5.0 sacks, 9.0 tackles for a loss, and three forced fumbles. He ranked No. 3 in the NFL in PFSN LB Impact Scoring with a career high 90.7 score. Highest Ranking: 10 (Orenchuk) Last Year’s Ranking: No. 17 It’s slightly surprising we’ve gone this long without one, but Andrew Van Ginkel marks the first player to appear in all six of the WCG ballots. He had 11.5 sacks in 2024 for the Vikings, and though he missed five games due to injury, he still had 7.0 sacks last year. Additionally, his 10 pass deflections last season led all defensive linemen across the NFL. He’s an impact player in every sense of the word. Highest Ranking: 13 (Mongo) Last Year’s Ranking: No. 48 Before suffering a season-ending injury halfway through the year, Tucker Kraft was on pace for an All-Pro nod in 2025. His 61.1 receiving yards per game was the second-highest average among all NFL tight ends, and he led his position with a 90.9 PFSN TE Impact Score . He’s consistently improved over his three seasons in the league, and one could certainly argue that he’s not just the best weapon on the Packers’ offense right now, but one of the best tight ends in the game. Highest Ranking: 9 (Mongo) Last Year’s Ranking: No. 11 Over his last two seasons, Christian Darrisaw has missed a combined [... truncated ...]
The 2026 NFL season is a few months away, and the anticipation for week one is at an extremely high level. As the NFL Network has done their player consensus Top 100 ranking each year, Windy City Gridiron’s staff has put together a roundtable over the last few seasons of the best players in the NFC North. With six contributors pitching in for this year’s roundtable, there was a strong diversity of opinions that provided for some entertaining rankings. Before we get started, let’s set up the ground rules. Each WCG participant was asked to send their top 32 players in the NFC North. A player’s ranking determined how many points they would receive (32 points for first, 31 points for second, etc.), and the total points were added up to create the rankings. Note: Tiebreakers will be broken by whichever player appeared on more ballots. If that total is the same, then the tiebreaker will go to whichever player received the highest ranking on an individual ballot. If that scenario also does not result in a clear winner, ballot organizer Jacob Infante will break the tie. 31. Vikings WR Jordan Addison 32. Bears G Jonah Jackson 33. Bears WR Luther Burden III 34. Bears WR Rome Odunze 35. Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson 36. Bears S Dillon Thieneman 37. Packers WR Jayden Reed 38. Vikings LB Blake Cashman 39. Lions DT Alim McNeill 40. Lions OT Blake Miller 41. Vikings WR Jauan Jennings 42. Bears RB D’Andre Swift 43. Packers WR Christian Watson 44. Packers DT Javon Hargrave 45. Vikings G Will Fries 46. Lions CB D.J. Reed Jr. 47. Packers DT Devonte Wyatt 48. Lions G Tate Ratledge 49. Packers LB Zaire Franklin 50. Vikings CB James Pierre Highest Ranking: 22 (Wiltfong) Last Year’s Ranking : No. 28 Brian O’Neill has been a fixture of the Vikings’ offensive line since he entered the NFL in 2018. He missed three games due to injury in 2025 but allowed just two sacks in 446 pass-blocking snaps, which is a more than respectable amount at the right tackle position. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler entering his ninth year as a starter for Minnesota ; he’s earned a spot in the top 30 and made appearances in the top 32 of four of the six WCG ballots. Highest Ranking: 20 (Baugher) Last Year’s Ranking: No. 29 It’s tough to get a read on Kyler Gordon in these rankings, seeing as though he only played in three regular season games in 2025 due to injury. That said, he’s arguably one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the NFL when he’s healthy. Including his two postseason appearances, he allowed a completion percentage of 60.9%, which was his best mark in coverage to date. If he can stay healthy for a full year — or at least close to it — he has a chance to move back up these rankings next year. Highest Ranking: 23 (Gooch) Last Year’s Ranking: N/A (not in division yet) The Bears swapped out Tremaine Edmunds for Devin Bush in their linebacker room, and they struck with Bush while the iron was hot. He’s coming off a career year with 125 tackles, 7.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, three interceptions (with two being returned for touchdowns) and eight pass deflections. His 86.8 PFSN LB Impact Score ranked No. 12 in the NFL and was the best score of his career thus far. He’ll look to bring that high level of athleticism and impact play over to Chicago after signing a lucrative deal. Highest Ranking: 21 (Mongo) Last Year’s Ranking: N/A (not in division yet) Kevin Byard is no longer on the Bears after his All-Pro campaign in 2025, but one could certainly argue they got younger, faster, and more versatile by replacing him with Coby Bryant. On the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks last season, Bryant had four interceptions and seven pass deflections, allowing a passer rating of 82.0, a mark which was actually better than Byard’s, in spite of the latter having three more picks. That speaks to Bryant’s superior consistency in coverage, which is something the Bears desperately need heading into 2026. Highest Ranking: 21 (Wiltfong) Last Year’s Ranking: N
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Speaking with the media Thursday, coach Ben Johnson said he's "buying Burden stock right now" after a strong start to the Bears' offseason program, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update
The article identifies potential dynasty fantasy football ADP mistakes, highlighting Kyren Williams as overvalued due to decreasing production and the increased role of Blake Corum. It suggests tiering down from Williams to other running backs like Cam Skattebo, Travis Etienne, Javonte Williams, Bhayshul Tuten, Derrick Henry, or D'Andre Swift. Luther Burden is also mentioned as a polarizing prospect with flashing potential despite a concerning junior season
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.
