The Bears’ offseason was full of twists, from trading receiver DJ Moore to letting safety Kevin Byard walk to watching center Drew Dalman retire. They made small ripples in free agency. Their draftwas notable because of the positions they couldn’t fill, not the ones they did.
Still, for the first time in a long time, the Bears are sailing on smoother seas than the Lions, Packers and Vikings.
The rival Packers began the offseason wondering if coach Matt LaFleur would return, then watched their defensive coordinator become the Dolphins’ head coach. They didn’t have a first-round pick last week after trading it for edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is still recovering from a torn knee.
The Vikings replaced starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy with Kyler Murray and on Friday traded star edge rusher Jonathan Greenard to the Eagles to clear cap space. They used their first rounder on Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who has an injured foot and some questions about his play-to-play motivation.
The Lions replaced their offensive coordinator, traded running back David Montgomery and moved future Pro Football Hall of Fame right tackle Penei Sewell to the left side. They drafted their next right tackle, Clemson’s Blake Miller, in Round 1.
The Bears, meanwhile, are the only team in the NFC North to return their offensive play-caller, defensive play-caller and starting quarterback in 2026. If Caleb Williams improves again in Year 3, he has the ability to make the Bears’ questions at defensive end, defensive tackle and offensive tackle a little less acute.
The Bears know the division will be a slog — last year, all four teams finished with winning records. But they’ve gained momentum over the past season.
“We’re so much further along than we were a year ago at this time,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said Saturday.
New Bears center Garrett Bradbury spent his first six years with the Vikings before signing with the Patriots a year ago. Returning to the NFC North feels both familiar and different.
“Rosters have changed just in two years — a lot,” he said.
Still, teams in the NFC North have had established identifies for years. Matt LaFleur is entering his eighth season with the Packers, Dan Campbell his sixth with the Lions and Kevin O’Connell his fifth with the Vikings.
“I think it’s more coordinator-based, certainly, [and] the head coach is the same way …” Bradbury said. “I think you see an identity, you see a culture come out with their play style.”
The Bears have developed their own identity under Johnson, too, and were intentional in drafting the right players to fit it. The draft will test that theory. First-round safety Dillon Thieneman fills a vacant starting spot, though not at a premium position. Second-rounder Logan Jones is slotted to be the backup center, Sam Roush the third tight end and fellow third-rounder Zavion Thomas a kick returner. The rest of their picks were typical Day 3 dart throws, made even more difficult by the fact that NIL money is keeping more Round 4-7 players in college than ever before.
The other NFC North teams also have questions after the draft and free agency,.
The Packers took South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse in Round two and defensive linemen — Missouri tackle Chris McClellan and Penn State edge Dani Dennis-Sutton — in Rounds 3 and 4, respectively. They’ll join defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who was signed away from the Vikings, and play for former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, who was hired as coordinator after Jeff Hafley took the Dolphins’ head coaching job.
The Vikings’ trade of Greenard saved them more than $34 million in salary cap space but made the defensive line worse. The Eagles valued him enough to give him a four-year, $100 million contract with $50 million guaranteed. Banks will join “The Big Citrus,” Iowa State third-rounder Domonique Orange, at defensive tackle to try to replace Hargrave and fellow vet Jonathan Allen.
The Vikings are still waiting to see if safety Harrison Smith, the heartbeat of their defense, will retire. If he does, they’ll need another leader under coordinator Brian Flores, who signed a contract extension this offseason.
The Lions cut offensive line stalwarts Graham Glasgow and Taylor Decker, with the latter leaving with hard feelings after refusing a pay cut. Miller, the No. 17 pick Thursday, figures to be the starting right tackle. That opens the door for Sewell, who was a first-team all-pro each of the last three years on the right side, to move left.
The Lions are favored to win the division. Many around football believe they have the most talent, but they need to stay healthy.
The Bears, having won the division last year, are predicted to finish third. For once, though, the Bears look around the division and, at least this one offseason, feel stable by comparison.