Coming off a 2025 season full of dramatic late comebacks and an ending that left many with a sour taste in their mouths, the Bears reported for training camp on Tuesday at Halas Hall. If HC Ben Johnson has emphasized anything this offseason, it’s this: the Bears aren’t going to be able to just pick up right where they left off last year. They’ll have to leave all the fun memories from last season in the past and go back to square one on the road to the Super Bowl.

QB Caleb Williams said after Wednesday’s opening practice that he lost 10 to 15 pounds during the offseason because he wanted to "be able to move a little bit better, be smoother." There have definitely been times early in his career where he’s refused to take off and run (even with plenty of empty grass in front of him) because he wanted to hit a big play downfield. Now, maybe a slimmer and trimmer Williams might run a bit more often. After racking up 388 rushing yards last season, perhaps he can hit the 450 mark? QB Tyson Bagent will back up Williams.

At running back, the Bears are running it back with RB D’Andre Swift and RB Kyle Monangai. Will Monangai get a bigger workload this season? I believe so, but that will likely depend on whether he shows improved pass catching ability and pass protection in camp/preseason.

This is the most interesting position group for me. How will WR Rome Odunze look after his foot injury last season? Will WR Luther Burden III’s great form from minicamp/OTAs carry over into training camp? Is he ready to become a bona fide #2 receiver? (I think he is.) How much of a role will #3 WR Kalif Raymond have? Can speedy rookie WR Zavion Thomas (4.28 40) carve out a role in the offense? Where does WR Jahdae Walker fit into this picture? Is Odunze actually any good at painting? (See the Bears’ schedule release video.) Hopefully we have some clearer answers to these questions (except for the last one) by the end of camp/preseason.

TE Colston Loveland was on fire at times in the second half of his rookie year, and he’ll come into this season as one of the Bears’ featured targets. TE Cole Kmet is a solid #2, and rookie TE Sam Roush should see the field when the Bears use 13 personnel (three tight ends). If you use four tight ends, would that be 14 personnel?

On the O-line, C Garrett Bradbury takes over as the man in the middle. How much of a push can rookie C Logan Jones give him? I think Bradbury definitely begins the season as the starter, but he isn’t exactly a top-rated center, so Jones could become a factor later in the season if he’s a quick study. At left tackle, LT Braxton Jones is as healthy as he’s been for a long time, and it’s likely that he’ll be the starter as long as he can stay in one piece.

The Bears are a bit banged up here to start camp. Most notably, CB Kyler Gordon has a soft tissue injury of some kind (again), and he’ll start on the PUP list. LB T.J. Edwards has a minor calf injury. DT Shemar Turner and LB Noah Sewell are still recovering from surgeries with no timetable for their returns. The main question here is whether the Bears will be able to rush the passer better than they did last year (stopping the run better is a close second).

Other than leading the league in takeaways, Chicago was pretty average on defense last season. The Bears’ main offseason reinforcements came in the secondary with rookie first-rounder S Dillon Thieneman and free agent S Coby Bryant. There weren’t any notable acquisitions on the D-line, so the team is basically hoping that coaching ‘em up better will work. Or maybe they can take a page out of Ted Lasso’s book and put a "Believe" sign above the door to the locker room. After all, football is life.

End.