2️⃣0️⃣ Days Until the Season Opener!
Good morning, Bears fans!
Three weeks to go until what’s hopefully our first Victory Monday!
And in a little bit of newsletter news, Bears By 7 crossed the 1,000-subscriber mark on Saturday! I appreciate everyone who’s signed up to share in the season ahead; it really should be a fun one.
As always, you can reach me at [email protected]
Headlines
Report: Jarrett Payton replaces Mike Mulligan on The Score: Credit the big scoop to Jeff Agrest of the Sun-Times. The sudden end of Mully’s time at the station came as a shock on Friday, but the JP-David Haugh pairing makes sense as we dive deeper into this Bears era. Agrest says their first show is expected to take place Monday, August 31.
NFL player returning to play in college? To borrow from Browns coach Todd Monken: “Isn’t this s—- crazy?” Tight end Dae’Quan Wright is expected to play for LSU in 2026 if he clears waivers after being cut by Cleveland on Sunday. Wright was an undrafted free agent who played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss the last two seasons. Though his eligibility is officially up, a temporary restraining order has cleared the way for him to enjoy one more season of NCAA ball. (No word on if Deshaun Watson will try to join him.) (ESPN)
Bears donate $200K to storm victims in south suburbs and northwest Indiana: They’re encouraging fans to also help out in whatever way they can. More details —> ChicagoBears.com
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Meet Jordan van den Berg
Screen cap via @Bearszn
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … Jordan van den Berg?
While the Bears’ sixth-round rookie was already poised to be a fan favorite, the Georgia Tech product made sure of it with a flying sideline rundown of Bengals quarterback Sean Clifford on Saturday.
Was the hustle excessive given that he will likely make the 53-man roster anyway? Yep.
Would that have been a 15-yard penalty had it been Joe Burrow in the regular season? Probably.
Will his 6-foot-3, 310-pound body last long in the NFL if he keeps doing his best Dennis Rodman impersonation? Nope.
Yet nothing sauces our inner meatball more than seeing a big ugly go full speed into the sideline on a night he recorded a 90.9 PFF grade on 33 snaps, tops on the Bears defense.
And to be honest, we needed it. In a Bears preseason that’s laced with worry over protecting the breakout players from 2025, there haven’t been many new faces to get excited about.
Except for van den Berg. He turned plenty of heads in Cincinnati this past weekend, making tackles, holding his own at the line of scrimmage and showing off the raw athleticism that moved Ryan Poles to trade two seventh-round picks for a shot at van den Berg in the sixth (213th overall).
While many hardcore fans are well aware of van den Berg’s story, he’s just now coming on the radar of many more.
With that in mind, here are a few facts for your next water cooler chat with your co-worker Todd about “dat James van der Beek kid” on the d-line:
van den Berg was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and grew up playing both rugby and cricket. He moved to Lilburn, Georgia with his family when he was 10.
His grandfather was a two-time Mr. Universe finalist and his grandmother was a record-setting South African swimmer.
He didn’t take up high school football until his sophomore season, but still broke his school’s career tackles record.
He started off at Iowa Western Community College before moving on to Penn State and then Georgia Tech, where he made first-team All-ACC in 2025.
He recorded a perfect 10.0 RAS (Relative Athletic Score) at his pro day after not being invited to the combine. Despite his size, he boasts a 36-inch vertical and went 9 feet, 11 inches in the broad jump!
Bears scouts fell in love with him during the draft process with several “pounding the table” for him in the weeks leading up to the draft. One team scout described him as an ‘up-field penetrator."‘
He makes a lap of the Bears practice field after every public session, thanking fans for coming to Halas Hall.
It remains to be seen just how much of a difference van den Berg will make on the Bears defensive line this season. He hasn’t faced an elite offensive lineman on a first team yet, after all.
But given his showing over training camp and the first two preseason games, there’s no doubt van den Berg will be a part of the rotation and get a chance to be a difference maker on a defense that sorely needs more of them.
Quotable
“There are times where you’ll have a down day and you’ll lose a game like today. You’ve got to go back and look at the tape and be truth tellers about yourself.”
Worth Your Time
Joe Thuney and Roquan Smith both earned spots on Fox Sports’ “Half-Decade Team” (Fox Sports)
A writer from Philly ranked the pressbox food for all 32 NFL teams. I’ve been told the Bears have upgraded their offerings under Kevin Warren since I last covered a game, but it’s hard to imagine three teams being worse than what they used to have. (Philly Voice)
Kevin Fishbain on who’s rising and falling on the Bears roster. (The Athletic)
Where have you gone, Brandon McManus? The Packers may have solved their kicking problems with sixth-round draft pick Trey Smack. The rookie is 7-for-7 in the preseason including kicks from 51, 58 and 59 yards. (Channel 3000)
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