Good morning, Bears fans!
So let’s get this out of the way: There will be days this offseason where there’s no actual Bears news.
Today is one of those days.
My promise to you, however, is to still find three interesting things of note.
Today is also one of those days.
Let’s go have ourselves a week.
— Kevin Kaduk
01 Merchandise
Thieneman’s jersey selling well
Fanatics says No. 31 on the Bears is a top seller among the newly drafted. Anyone planning on re-nameplating an old Nathan Vasher or Rashaan Salaam job?
02 Offseason
Loveland hosts golf tourney
The charity outing in Idaho, which reportedly sold out in 10 minutes, raised money for the Special Olympics. Story and video here.
03 NFC North
Vikings up for sale?
Minnesota’s massive drop in spending has led to speculation the Wilf family may be looking to cash out after 21 years of ownership. Fun fact: The last non-Vikings sale in the NFC North was the Lions to the Ford Family in 1960. (Bears and Packers have never been sold.)
The 7 most-anticipated Bears in ‘26
There are bound to be more free agent signings in the months ahead, but we mostly know what the 2026 Chicago Bears roster will look like.
The reigning NFC North champs were great on offense and not so hot on defense. Both units will have to navigate the division title defense with a fair amount of turnover and the belief that career progression and coaching will elevate the squad.
With that in mind, I put together a quick list of the seven Bears players I’m most looking forward to watching make a jump or a big contribution in 2026.
The one caveat is that there’s no Caleb Williams on this list.
That’s a given.
7 | Devin Bush: The free agent linebacker won’t have Myles Garrett doing the dirty work in front of him, but I’m looking forward to seeing what Bush’s speed will do for Dennis Allen’s unit.
6 | Jaylon Johnson: Only seven regular season games from CB1 in ‘25 contributed to an inconsistent defense. What does a healthy cornerbacks room do for the Bears? (Also looking at you, Kyler Gordon)
5 | Dillon Thieneman: The “312” safety era is here with Thieneman wearing No. 31 and Coby Bryant wearing No. 2. They’re interchangeable at both spots, which will make the All-22 a fun exercise each week.
4 | Gervon Dexter: A career-high six sacks last season, but still not great against the run. Can a contract year get the extra from Dexter that we’ve been wanting? I’m still a fan of No. 99, but I’m hoping to have my recalibrated expectations surpassed in a surprising way.
3 | Colston Loveland: It’s easy to forget, but it took a couple of months for Loveland’s role in the offense to click. A full season of Loveland locked and loaded should be as great as seeing him fly off the board in fantasy drafts.
2 | Austin Booker: Can we combine Booker’s maturation and the contributions of every defender on this list to get the true breakout season the Bears desperately need? That’s what puts him so high on this list.
1 | Luther Burden: The flashes we saw from Burden during his rookie season were oh-so-good. Will a year under Ben Johnson multiply those moments in an offense that will no longer have DJ Moore running routes and attracting targets? It’s a little weird that Rome Odunze isn’t in this top spot, but it says everything about Burden’s talent.
Which players are you most anticipating this year? Hit reply on this email and let me know!
Stay curious.
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Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo was basically down 21-3 coming around the turn on Saturday. (I don’t know which horse was Brandon McManus.)
• Peggy Kusinski and Jason Kinander spoke with Trent Dilfer, who coached Sam Roush in high school. Great interview. (The Sportscaster and Her Son)
• Jacob Infante did a way-too-early entire Bears mock draft (rounds 1 through 7) for the 2027 NFL Draft. (Windy City Gridiron)
• How “ghosts of stadiums past” are haunting the Bears quest for a new home. (Chicago Tribune)
• Old friend Chase Claypool made a surprise tryout during the Packers minicamp over the weekend, but was reportedly not signed. (Packers Wire)
• Tom Brady pulled a valuable Caleb Williams card during a rip, then immediately Facetimed him to ask if it’d be worth more or less after this season.
Caleb’s reply? “A lot ****** more.” (Twitter)
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