The biggest offseason change the Chicago Bears made was unquestionably to the team's new-look secondary. Out were Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens, CJ Gardner-Johnson, and Nahshon Wright, with Cam Lewis, Coby Bryant, and Dillon Thieneman brought in. This sets up the defense of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for early growing pains and should limit fan expectations early in the 2026 season.
It is important to note here that in no way is this predicting Chicago's secondary to continually struggle or to suggest that it is a weak unit. Rather, it is looking at the reality of a myriad of new and young pieces being brought into what was a veteran unit. This will inevitably lead to mistakes and could result in a handful of frustrations early on.
Luckily for the Bears, the offense remains loaded and should be expected to do a bit of the heavy lifting early in the year. Caleb Williams is going to need to put up bigger numbers to take pressure off a defense that is going to need plenty of time to adjust to its new pieces. This should check early Chicago expectations with the defense having a reasonable path to struggles early in the season.
With that said, by the time the holidays roll around, there is every reason to believe that the Bears are going to be among the NFC's more capable defensive units. The offseason moves made the franchise faster in the back end and more athletic compared to a season ago.
Bears Fans Should Expect Early-Season Struggles from Chicago's New Look Secondary
It does help matters that the first two games of Chicago's season are scheduled against the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings. They are by far among the league's least concerning passing attacks. This is due to both limited weapons as well as clear questions at quarterback for both teams. This should help buy Allen a bit of grace to make early mistakes and figure out how best to coach the new-look unit.
It should also be mentioned that while rookie safety Thieneman appears to be an elite prospect, there will inevitably be mistakes expected of a young player. This explains why expectations should be checked and Ben Johnson's offense needs to start the season hot to buy a bit of early-season grace for a unit that is unquestionably going to be facing growing pains.
Still, there is no question that the Bears did a solid job retooling the roster in the 2026 offseason and appear to be poised to once again be among the NFC's elite contenders. This should be the expectation while preparing for potential early-season struggles for a position group dealing with a lot of new faces.
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