Heading into the 2026 NFL season, the biggest roster question surrounding the Chicago Bears will be regarding the offensive line. In Ben Johnson's first year as a head coach, the offensive line has been a revolving door. The Bears started four different left tackles last season, and uncertainty for next season remains.
In the draft, the Bears used a second-round pick on Iowa center Logan Jones. The 57th-overall pick will be behind Garrett Bradbury in his rookie season before presumably taking over as the starter. That was the only move to address the offensive line in the draft.
After the draft, however, the Bears made an intriguing signing. Chicago signed undrafted free agent guard Caden Barnett out of Wyoming. Per Spotrac, the Bears gave Barnett a guaranteed $277.5K and a $30K signing bonus. Only five UDFA signings received more guaranteed salary in their contracts so far, suggesting how highly the Bears view Barnett.
Bears' New UDFA Signing Caden Barnett Is Worth Keeping an Eye On
Ryan Poles was not alone in being high on Barnett. NFL analyst Lance Zierlein had a Round 6 projection on the three-year starter, highlighting his "size, explosiveness, and length." PFSN's Jacob Infante had a full breakdown of Barnett's game, underlining his athleticism and mean streak in the trenches.
More importantly for Barnett, he has a path to a role with the Bears. The six-foot-four guard has the necessary versatility to line up inside or outside. He was Wyoming's starting right tackle for two seasons before switching to right guard in 2025. He earned second-team All-Mountain West honors as a right guard.
Chicago's starting spot at right guard is spoken for, as Jonah Jackson essentially played every snap last season. Behind him, there is last year's sixth-round selection, Luke Newman. The Michigan State product dealt with injuries in his rookie season and didn't get a chance to show much. Barnett could certainly provide some training camp competition for Newman. His extensive experience playing on the outside could make him Darnell Wright's backup as well.
The offensive line for the Bears is in flux. Between Braxton Jones, Jed Wills Jr., and Theo Benedet, there will be intense competition at left tackle in Ozzy Trapilo's absence. It seems like Jordan McFadden will back up Joe Thuney at left guard to start the season, and Kiran Amegadjie's time in Chicago will likely come to an end.
Besides the veteran starters, the offensive line has a ton of uncertainty for the rest of the 53-man roster. Barnett could certainly make a case for himself with a strong training camp and crack the roster. Whether he can, however, remains to be seen.
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