4️⃣8️⃣ Days Until the Season Opener!

Good morning, Bears fans!

We made it! Past the news-free days of late June/early July and … into training camp press releases telling us Kyler Gordon is starting another training camp hurt.

Still, it feels good to be back. The 2026 season is no longer a tiny speck on the horizon. The plan here is to drop a newsletter Monday-Wednesday-Friday with plenty of things on social and in the Bears By 7 community in between.

I’m also hoping to get a lot more friends in here as the season draws closer and could use your help! Send your referral link below to your group chats and Slack rooms to light up your Chicago stars. 🙏

— Kevin Kaduk

Kyler Gordon tops training camp PUP list: Not a huge shocker, but annoying nonetheless. Ozzy Trapilo, Shemar Turner, Noah Sewell and Keyshaun Elliott are on the list, while TJ Edwards is listed with a non-football injury. (Chicago Tribune)

Caleb Williams lands at 51 on NFL Top 100: This was briefly big news on Friday’s timeline before LeBron to Philly stopped the sports world. I think it’s the perfect place for Caleb to land: Midway through the list shows him plenty of respect while still providing plenty of motivation. Now to see where Joe Thuney lands. (Chicago Bears)

Kyle Shanahan recovering from serious car accident: The Niners coach will miss camp time at a minimum after sustaining a rash of injuries in a July 14 car accident. (ESPN)

The Bears rookies showed up to Halas Hall on Saturday. The entire class will be under the microscope from the start as the fanbase looking for any and all outlets for incremental improvement after a division-winning season.

A quick primer on the newest Bears and the storylines they’ll be facing as they debut in front of the training camp crowds.

Dillon Thieneman (S — Oregon) Caleb aside, it’s been a while since a Bears draft pick was met with such universal praise. Particularly for someone drafted at No. 25. But evaluators see Thieneman’s speed (4.35 40) and versatility as a Day 1 difference maker in Dennis Allen’s vision for a quick, aggressive and deceptive defense. While you can’t pencil in the rest of the draft class for guaranteed playing time, that isn’t the case for Thieneman.

Logan Jones (C — Iowa) There will be plenty of eyes on Jones during sessions and not just because he’s the first to wear No. 54 since Brian Urlacher. Jones vs. Garrett Bradbury stands to be one of the closest position battles in camp and one that can help the Bears recover from Drew Dalman’s departure. Jones enters with plenty of experience, having made 50 starts as a four-year starter. He’ll also turn 25 in October. Pay attention to his strength and speed: he holds Iowa program records with a 705-pound squat and a 4.59 shuttle.

Sam Roush (TE — Stanford) There’s a lot to learn in Ben Johnson’s offense, but Roush will get a room with excellent teachers in tight ends coach Jim Dray (a Stanford alum) and Cole Kmet/Colston Loveland. While his efforts may not be as visible on Sundays this fall, camp will provide the chance to focus on the athletic potential that made the Bears eager to take him with a third-round pick.

Zavion Thomas (WR — LSU) Ben Johnson’s newest weapon or a reach in the third round? Thomas has the most potential in this class to get the practice fields buzzing by reeling in a big bomb or showing off his return skills.

Malik Muhammad (CB — Texas) Kyler Gordon’s ongoing soft-tissue problems pose a big opportunity for Muhammad if he can make a quick transition to slot. Muhammad played 1,762 snaps outside in Austin compared to only 199 in the slot. It’ll also be interesting to see his size as he plans to add to the 182 pounds that helped him fall in the draft.

Keyshaun Elliott (LB — Arizona State) It’s unclear when we’ll see him as he’s working his way past a quad injury suffered during the offseason. Once he does, expect Elliott to get plenty of special teams work as the coaching staff finds out what they have in a prospect that trends more to a throwback-type linebacker.

Jordan van den Berg (DL — Georgia Tech) I’m already seeing the Bears fanbase putting some outsized expectations on van den Berg’s name, which is unfair. But it’s also a byproduct of an offseason that saw him become the biggest addition for the most lacking unit from 2025. His RAS scores were off the charts and will help him shine during drills that can otherwise be a little boring.

Caden Barnett (OG — Wyoming) The “Vanilla Gorilla” figures to be a favorite on the autograph line for kids and he’ll start his Bears career trying to prove he was worth the UDFA money the team gave him.

Jayden Loving (DL — Wake Forest) If you’re looking for a good training camp story that flashes and makes a push for a spot on the 53-man, Loving has a chance to be that guy. Either way, the unit could use the competition from the new guys.

Miller Moss (QB — USC) Being a QB4 has to be one of the more enjoyable ways in this world to earn a summer paycheck, right? There’s no world in which Moss is playing meaningful minutes for the Bears this season, but he should get a chance to show his stuff in preseason garbage time.

I’d say this is literally the only NFL owner who would do this, but I could see Mark Davis in a similar situation.

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