LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears' 2026 training camp runs from July 29 to Aug. 27. Outside of joint practices at Cincinnati and Tennessee, the Bears will hold camp practices at Halas Hall.
Coming off an 11-win season and NFC North title in 2025, the Bears are looking to sustain that level of success during their second season under Ben Johnson. Standing in the way of back-to-back division crowns is the league's hardest schedule and a host of new starters at both safety spots, center and wide receiver No. 1.
The core of young talent around quarterback Caleb Williams hopes to maintain its status as one of the league's most explosive offenses. Chicago's defense believes better coaching will provide better results with the pass rush while the secondary is relying on improved health and the play of its newcomers to once again lead the league in takeaways.
Here's a closer look at what we are watching at camp:
Will Chicago's decisions on defense pay off?
Sure, Caleb Williams will have to adjust to playing with a new center and WR1, but the biggest question for the Bears entering training camp is whether they've done enough to improve on defense. The team decided against getting in on the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes or spending big elsewhere to upgrade its pass rush, and it believes another year in Dennis Allen's scheme for players such as Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo and Gervon Dexter Sr. will yield better results from a unit that ranked 31st in pass rush win rate (29%) and 29th in pressure percentage (28%).
The Bears got younger, faster and more aggressive when they brought in linebacker Devin Bush and overhauled their secondary, which will feature a new safety duo in Coby Bryant and Dillon Thieneman. How quickly these additions learn to jell in a defense that led the league in takeaways (33) but struggled to rush the passer and stop the run will determine the strength of this unit in 2026.
Three players to watch
CB Kyler Gordon. Soft tissue injuries limited Gordon to five games after he signed a three-year extension that made him the highest-paid slot corner in the NFL. Upon missing spring workouts with another injury, Gordon's ability to stay on the field is under a microscope. "We know he's a good player when he's out there, but trust level is a huge thing for this team, for this coaching staff, for the locker room, and you can only develop that trust by being available," coach Ben Johnson said.
WR Zavion Thomas. Did Johnson draft his next Jahmyr Gibbs? Thomas, the versatile rookie who has been labeled "electric" by his wide receiver teammates, made a handful of plays during minicamp and could emerge as a valuable gadget player on offense while contributing his 4.28-second 40-yard dash speed as a returner.
C Logan Jones. Though the center position doesn't present like a neck-and-neck competition between 31-year-old Garrett Bradbury and Jones, a rookie, keep a close eye on how quickly the player out of Iowa establishes himself up front. Second-round picks aren't drafted to sit for long. While Bradbury is in line to be Chicago's Week 1 center, Jones can use training camp to demonstrate when he'll be capable of supplanting the veteran.
Key position battles
Left tackle: Ozzy Trapilo's knee injury forced the Bears to start from scratch at left tackle. Braxton Jones took all the first-team reps during the spring and makes his case to win the job with 44 career starts and a clean bill of health that has allowed him to stay on the field and jump out to an early lead. Jedrick Wills Jr. and Kiran Amegadjie will also be a part of the competition, though neither has played meaningful snaps at the position in more than a year and aren't locks to make the 53-man roster even as backups.
No. 2 cornerback: Tyrique Stevenson saw his playing time nosedive during the final five games of the regular season, so much so that he was benched for the Week 18 finale. In order to win the starting cornerback job opposite Jaylon Johnson, Stevenson will have to fend off rookie Malik Muhammad, who has demonstrated a willingness to learn multiple positions in the secondary, from slot corner to safety.
WR1. DJ Moore's departure creates an opening for Rome Odunze or Luther Burden III to establish himself as Williams' top wideout. Odunze is adjusting to a "new normal" after playing through a stress fracture in his left foot but doesn't feel he'll be slowed down or inhibited from making big plays. Burden is out to prove that all he does is make big plays, which will make for fireworks all throughout training camp between these two receivers.
Keep an eye on: Darnell Wright's contract situation
The 2023 first-rounder earned second-team All-Pro honors while playing through an elbow injury last season. He had a significant role in Williams cutting his sack total from 68 to 24 last season and is a staple at right tackle. The Bears want to keep him in the fold long term. The Bears picked up Wright's fifth-year option in the spring and would like to strike a deal with him before training camp kicks into high gear, using the timeline this front office has followed for other extensions in the past (Cole Kmet in 2023, Moore in 2024). If the Bears want to reward Wright by making him one of the highest-paid right tackles, he could average anywhere from $26 million to $30 million per year.
Bears' 53-man roster projection
QB (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
RB (3): D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Roschon Johnson
WR (6): Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker, Zavion Thomas, Scotty Miller
TE (3): Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Sam Roush
OL (10): Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, Garrett Bradbury, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Logan Jones, Theo Benedet, Luke Newman, Jedrick Wills Jr., Caden Barnett
Trapilo will likely start the season on the PUP list, so that frees up a roster spot. Braxton Jones has the inside track to win the left tackle job in a competition that also features Wills and Kiran Amegadjie. The Bears don't need to keep all three tackles when Benedet seems primed to be Chicago's swing tackle, so the final spot on the initial 53-man roster goes to Barnett, the interior lineman who the Bears gave $277,500 in guaranteed money on his UDFA contract.
DL (9): Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter Sr., Grady Jarrett, Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo, Daniel Hardy, Shemar Turner, Neville Gallimore, Jordan van den Berg
There's a big opportunity for Booker, Odeyingbo and Turner to keep Chicago's front office from dipping into the pool of free agent edge rushers once the pads come on in August. After only adding depth along the D-line this offseason, the Bears believe the answers to their pass rush problem are already on the roster.
LB (5): T.J. Edwards, Devin Bush, D'Marco Jackson, Keyshaun Elliott, Jack Sanborn
CB (7): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones, Malik Muhammad, Terell Smith
There's a lot at stake for one of the most talented position groups on the team. Johnson hopes to return to his Pro Bowl form after missing 10 games last season due to injury. Gordon has a lot to prove after another soft tissue injury kept him off the field in the spring. But perhaps the biggest draw in training camp will be the battle for the No. 2 corner job between Stevenson, who is entering a contract year, and rookie fourth-rounder Muhammad.
S (4): Coby Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks, Cam Lewis
SPECIALISTS (3): Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor (P), Luke Elkin (LS)