2026 Chicago Bears Offseason Thread

[gflore34]

12 hours ago, Banedon said:

Honestly, so what?  Last I checked Ben and Caleb aren't going any where.  Is it an incorrect assessment to say the NFL is the most soap opera like of the four major sports?

[Banedon]

1 hour ago, gflore34 said:

Honestly, so what?  Last I checked Ben and Caleb aren't going any where.  Is it an incorrect assessment to say the NFL is the most soap opera like of the four major sports?

This post is a wrestling joke.

[jumbo]

On 1/20/2026 at 10:25 PM, raw said:

I think you bring 1 of Brisker/Byard back. And then 1 of Hicks/Owens. 

I lean Byard and Hicks. Byard is a captain and takes the ball away. Hicks is also his direct backup at more of a free safety type so I keep him. He's also younger and probably better than Owens, though I'd miss seeing Simone Biles pregame. 

Brisker will be more expensive, most likely and require a longer term commitment due to age, but is also a concussion away from serious questions about his career.....so maybe he is cheaper than we think?

I'd still like to draft a guy with more speed, versatility and takeaway potential than Brisker, while also adding an affordable FA S that can start if the rookie isnt ready.

I agree with all of this on S

[jumbo]

Thinking on the offseason and I like to go to OTC and look at the free agent lists, comp picks, etc. 

Here is a list of Bears FA from OTC - I added the OTC valuation for each also the potential 2027 comp pick based on the 2026 comp pick projection (using cap increase as increase for comp pick rounds to translate 26 $ into 27$)

 

[Geographyhater8888]

23 hours ago, gflore34 said:

Honestly, so what?  Last I checked Ben and Caleb aren't going any where.  Is it an incorrect assessment to say the NFL is the most soap opera like of the four major sports?

Better win a superbowl before 2029 when Caleb signs with the Vikings as a free agent to play with kevin o'connell.

[Hot Sauce]

On 1/23/2026 at 9:31 PM, Banedon said:

Somebody gon get they wig split! 

[NorthsideAvenger]

Packers hired Jonathan Glannon as DC. Uninspiring to say the least, imo. 

[Wilson A2000]

[Banedon]

Nashon Wright is replacing Quinyon Mitchell on the Pro Bowl roster.

[Banedon]

[Rex Buckingham]

I know it's Ben's offense, but this can't be seen as anything but a positive

[The_Achiever]

I agree with the pro-Rome talk earlier in this thread.  He had a good start to the season and I'm still not over the Bears trying to bring him back from a foot injury on a 5-degree day.  

I give him props for working to get back on the field after getting what I think is bad direction from the training staff.  

[Banedon]

Sources: Bears Emerge as Suitors for Travis Etienne Jr., Chargers Expected to Cut Mekhi Becton, Toledo QB Not Focused on NFL - EssentiallySports

[gflore34]

51 minutes ago, Banedon said:

Sources: Bears Emerge as Suitors for Travis Etienne Jr., Chargers Expected to Cut Mekhi Becton, Toledo QB Not Focused on NFL - EssentiallySports

Is Etienne a lateral move from Swift?  If so, is he a cheaper lateral move?

[bukie]

2 minutes ago, gflore34 said:

Is Etienne a lateral move from Swift?  If so, is he a cheaper lateral move?

No other RB in the league moves as laterally as Swift.

[minnesotacubsfan]

35 minutes ago, gflore34 said:

Is Etienne a lateral move from Swift?  If so, is he a cheaper lateral move?

I tend to feel that way. Etienne had more receiving TDs but that may just underscore Cohens offense. Not sure who is cheaper, Etienne was a first round pick

[WrigleyField 22]

I bet Etienne will be more expensive on an average annual basis. And a bunch of new guarantees where as you could just see out Swift on his current deal.

 

After seeing Ben Cook with Gibbs in Detroit, I'm open to them treating RB as a real investment position, but I'm a bit skeptical of Etienne being that. 

[gflore34]

1 minute ago, WrigleyField 22 said:

I bet Etienne will be more expensive on an average annual basis. And a bunch of new guarantees where as you could just see out Swift on his current deal.

 

After seeing Ben Cook with Gibbs in Detroit, I'm open to them treating RB as a real investment position, but I'm a bit skeptical of Etienne being that. 

I'm thinking he'll want to invest a pick for a RB, don't know who the nearest approximation to Gibbs would be this year.  Guess, Love, but, he'll be long gone by the time the Bears consider drafting a back.

[WrigleyField 22]

There were rumors of Poles making a legit push on Barkley when he was a FA too.  So seems like Poles would definitely be behind putting a premium on the position too

[Tryptamine]

With limited funds, I don' t  like it at all unless he's somehow cheaper than Swift. RB is way low on the priority list.

[NorthsideAvenger]

18 minutes ago, WrigleyField 22 said:

There were rumors of Poles making a legit push on Barkley when he was a FA too.  So seems like Poles would definitely be behind putting a premium on the position too

Barkley (at the time) was a better player than Etienne is now. I rather keep Swift and use resources on fixing the defense. 

[raw]

Quote

Part of me REALLY wants to basically swap him out for a faster, more dynamic game-breaking RB (Kenneth Walker, Travis Etienne, Achane trade is what I'm thinking).

What I said last week. Walker is probably not leaving Seattle (Charbonnet ACL tear last week). Achane is probably not getting traded. I'm with WF22 that IDK if Etienne is a true upgrade over Swift, but I do think he has more of the Gibbs stuff than Swift. Though Swift was a big time pass catcher in Ben's offense in Detroit. 

I think in the short term, the cap hit is probably a wash. You get 7M room from cutting Swift and I'd imagine Etienne gets 8-10M per season (for about 3 years). So the 1st year cap hit is probably a little less than Swift's, but dead money makes it pretty even. 

[Banedon]

Putting this here:

 

Because that probably means that Al Harris is staying with the Bears.

[Old Style]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6891025/2026/01/29/charles-tillman-nfl-fbi-chicago-bears/
 

Great article on Peanut. 

[UMFan83]

Super random but a friend who is a fan of another team asked me this yesterday.  Now that the season is over and emotions have settled etc, what would have been a better outcome for you:

-What happened (playoff win over Packers, OT loss to Rams)

-A close loss in the NFC championship game after beating let's say the 49ers and Eagles.  Also the championship game loss is not to the Packers.