The Chicago Bears aren’t the fun little rebuilding story anymore. Expectations have changed—and Caleb Williams is now being asked to lead a team with legitimate championship aspirations.
On today’s episode of Chicago Bears Central, Haize breaks down four questions that could determine just how high Chicago’s ceiling really is in 2026.
First, Caleb Williams has no excuses—but does he have enough to cover up the Bears’ remaining flaws?
Chicago went 11-6 and won the NFC North last season while Ben Johnson’s offense scored 441 points, the third-most in franchise history, and generated 127 explosive plays, second-most in the NFL.
The foundation is real.
Caleb has Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai around him, and his sack rate dropped dramatically from 10.0% to 3.8% under Johnson.
But there’s another side.
His completion percentage fell from 62.5% to 58.1%, Chicago faces an extremely difficult schedule, and some of last season’s late-game magic and defensive turnover production may be difficult to duplicate.
The question is no longer:
Can Caleb Williams become good?
It’s:
Can Caleb become the quarterback who covers up imperfections when a Super Bowl-caliber team needs him to?
Then we turn to Ryan Poles.
💥 Did the Bears gamble too heavily on internal development along the defensive line?
The national conversation focuses heavily on pass rush, but Haize argues Chicago’s bigger concern may actually be the run defense.
The Bears allowed 134.5 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry last season.
Why does that matter to the pass rush?
Because Montez Sweat, Austin Booker and Dennis Allen’s pressure packages become far less dangerous when offenses constantly live in second-and-short and third-and-manageable situations.
Chicago is betting heavily on internal improvement from players such as:
🔥 Gervon Dexter Sr.
💥 Austin Booker
🧱 Grady Jarrett
⚡ Dayo Odeyingbo
👀 Jordan van den Berg
🎰 Marcus Davenport
🐻 Montez Sweat
And van den Berg might be the most fascinating player of them all.
Is his impressive summer evidence that Chicago found another legitimate defensive-line contributor—or are Bears fans getting swept away by preseason hype?
Then there’s the running-back room.
🏃 Can Roschon Johnson or Salvon Ahmed actually be trusted if D’Andre Swift or Kyle Monangai miss time?
Monangai’s hyperextended knee has made the depth conversation more important.
Roschon offers size, physicality, special-teams value and familiarity—but injuries and Monangai’s emergence completely changed his offensive role last season.
Ahmed has arguably been the more exciting camp story, flashing explosiveness and averaging 6.6 yards per carry during preseason, but he hasn’t played a regular-season NFL game since 2023.
The Bears don’t need RB3 to become a star.
They need someone who can keep Ben Johnson’s offense functioning without forcing Caleb into obvious passing situations every possession.
And finally:
🎯 Is Rome Odunze ready to become Chicago’s true No. 1 receiver?
Odunze says contested catches are one of his areas of expertise, and after battling through a foot injury last season, the former first-round pick is embracing the challenge of winning one-on-one opportunities outside.
At 6-foot-3 with his size, catch radius and chemistry with Caleb Williams, could 2026 be the season Rome separates himself from an extremely talented Bears receiving room?
Haize breaks it ALL down on Chicago Bears Central.
🎙️ Hosted by Haize
Podcast Links: https://linktr.ee/ChiBearsCentral
Get at us:
Email: ChicagoBearsCentral@gmail.com
Twitter:@ChiBearsCentral
Phone: (773) 242-9336
Advertising Inquiries:
https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out:
https://redcircle.com/privacy
