Now’s your chance … BEARS MAILBAG QUESTIONS. (And quite honestly, how about some non-Bears questions, too?) Drop them in the slot. Reply here or e-mail [email protected] 📭🏈📩📭

Rarely a day passed this spring where someone inside Halas Hall didn’t praise Ben Johnson. For his elite football acumen. Or his direct and truthful communication style. Or his unrelenting and contagious work habits. The Bears have momentum. www.nytimes.com/athletic/735...

📈 Arrow up for Bears TE Colston Loveland. 🗣️ New praise for Darnell Wright 🎯 Ball location. Ball location. Ball location. A constant priority for Caleb Williams. 🏈 A focus on fundamentals is driving the D-line. MINI-CAMP ROUNDUP www.nytimes.com/athletic/734...

At the Madden 27 cover shoot in L.A., there was a push to recreate Caleb Williams’ magical fourth down throw to Rome Odunze from the Bears’ playoff win. Caleb added a Jordan-esque twist. To be like Mike. Fun. Bold. And perhaps a self-given push for QB1. www.nytimes.com/athletic/733...

The 2025 season presented an encouraging breakthrough for Caleb Williams and the Bears offense. But the stair climb must continue. “That was a good stepping stone for me. But that wasn’t the last stepping stone.” www.nytimes.com/athletic/729...

Bears schedule. What does it all mean? www.nytimes.com/athletic/727...

Notes, nuggets, insight from a packed weekend of Bears rookie camp: www.nytimes.com/athletic/726...

The Bears are convinced Zavion Thomas’ speed, instincts and play style are game-changing. Now comes the task of creating his ideal niche. www.nytimes.com/athletic/725...

🚨RELEASED🚨 No one attacks a mock schedule quite like this. My maximum-theater wish list for the Chicago Bears’ 2026 schedule. www.nytimes.com/athletic/725...

For your weekend viewing enjoyment … 🏈 The skinny on the Bears’ 2026 draft class. 🎞️ @BigAntHerron glides through some Malik Muhammad tape. 🏟️ It’s May now. Is THIS the month for cementing a stadium location? THE OFFSEASON w @CassieCarlsonTV youtu.be/_xgzimyEi18?...

The Bears have spent almost as much time this offseason repairing their roster as they have improving it. After a wave of changes, the next step now is creating improvement. www.nytimes.com/athletic/724...

“We’re looking for high-level competitors. (We’re after) guys who, if you took football away, they’d really not know what to do with themselves.” The story and the construct of the 2026 Bears draft class starts here. www.nytimes.com/athletic/723...

With the NFL draft concluded, @kfishbain.bsky.social unpacks the Bears activity throughout the weekend. 🏈 Best value pick 🏈 Most surprising selection 🏈 Biggest question 🏈 Remaining needs www.nytimes.com/athletic/723...

Open exercise ... If you had been in charge at Halas Hall each time the Bears were making a pick in this draft, how would your class have been assembled? Go. 1-25: 2-57: 3-69: 3-89: 4-124: 5-166: 6-213: (will revisit this in the offseason of 2030)

Your 2026 Chicago Bears draft class ... 1-25: S Dillon Thieneman 2-57: C Logan Jones 3-69: TE Sam Roush 3-89: WR Zavion Thomas 4-124: CB Malik Muhammad 5-166: LB Keyshaun Elliott 6-213: DT Jordan Van Den Berg

CHICAGO BEARS KEY ROSTER ADDITIONS (and Losses) OFFENSE QB: X RB: X WR: Raymond, Zavion Thomas (DJ, OZ, Duvernay) TE: Roush (Smythe) OL: Bradbury, Logan Jones, Wills (Dalman) ****

ICYMI ... As the Bears acknowledge their defensive needs, they used three Day 2 picks in the draft on offense. @kfishbain dives in with the inital thoughts ... www.nytimes.com/athletic/722...

The first of three Bears picks tonight is Iowa center Logan Jones ... The early skinnny: www.nytimes.com/athletic/722...

NFL Draft LIVE BLOG from Team @TheAthletic ... www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv...

The NFL draft is underway. So is @TheAthletic live show with analysis and discussion galore. www.youtube.com/live/b4zZYz5...

⏱️🏈 Draft day has arrived. One last Bears primer on: — Planning for the early runs at EDGE and OL — Corner help needed? — Positions of need — What the Bears are targeting most with the draft class www.nytimes.com/athletic/721...

Four years after Ryan Poles assembled his first draft class as Bears GM, @kfishbain.bsky.social and I have done a deep dive to assess every pick. (We also retroactively included grades for the picks made by Phil Emery and Ryan Pace — 2012-2021.) ANALYSIS www.nytimes.com/athletic/720...

Ahead of the NFL Draft … big Athletic event this afternoon/evening in the city. The first 100 fans who show up starting at 4 PM will get a hard copy of The Beast, and a chance to ask draft questions. Plenty of good insight to be had. Matt Forte as the headliner.

🗣️🎙️🏈👂📺 😕 Grote has edge rusher anxiety. 🌟 The Bears draft opportunity is intriguing. ⛳️ A short Masters review. And much more … TAKE THE NORTH www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsz1...

March was a real slalom course for Bears GM Ryan Poles as he dealt with a surprise retirement, two trades, the signings of nine newcomers and the exits of 12 players who started at least once last year. Now: the draft. The challenges just keep coming. www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...

Of all the exhilaration that the 2025 Bears season provided, George McCaskey might have been the most delighted fan in Chicago. His thoughts on all the magic, all the viral content and that “F—- the Packers!” punctuation in January. www.nytimes.com/athletic/717...

Ryan Poles, George McCaskey and Kevin Warren recently visited Roger Goodell in NY to state their case for the comp picks they believe they deserve for Ian Cunningham's hiring as Atlanta GM. As of right now, they don't believe a final ruling has been made. www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...

Ben Johnson spoke with reporters at the league meetings in Arizona. Story from @danwiederer.bsky.social on what what the Bears head coach had to say about the offense’s room for improvement, a new center and next steps for Caleb Williams

Ben Johnson on the missed catch moments for Rome Odunze in '25: "That’s something we’ll talk about. I don’t think that was a thing for him coming out. I don’t want to speak that into existence. That’s something we’re going to emphasize in the spring: getting back to basics."

Ben Johnson has had limited exposure to new safety Coby Bryant but has already identified the "it factor" in the headliner of the Bears free agent class. "The way he plays the game is what we want our defense to look like."

Ben Johnson, this AM, on the DJ Moore trade: "Shoot, I got a little emotional when the trade happened. He came in and he made his rounds saying goodbye to the coaches and Ryan (Poles) and his crew. It hurts because I viewed him as one of the leaders. Yet the business is the business. (cont.)"

The menu of options at No. 25 continues to be promising. Another mock draft offers the Bears a look at another defensive standout. Have a look … www.nytimes.com/athletic/712...

What's up with the Bears? @danwiederer.bsky.social breaks it down in his latest free-agency reset. www.nytimes.com/athletic/710...

There were introductions Thursday at Halas Hall … Bryant, Bush, Raymond, Gallimore. (And Bradbury over Zoom.) Talk a little, learn a lot. Bears. www.nytimes.com/athletic/711...

A costly INT. Two intentional grounding penalties. More operational sloppiness. Red zone hiccups. Only one TD drive across nine possessions. Sunday was not Caleb Williams’ finest hour leading a sputtering Bears offense.

With a basket of readymade excuses, the Bears’ defense didn’t choose any after Sunday’s loss. That group also didn’t make enough plays to secure win No. 5 … From ⁦‪Kevin Fishbain.

Chicago Bears Intel … — What to make of the fourth down hiccups through six games. — Are the stumbling Ravens one punch away from toppling? — What’s next for Ozzy Trapilo?

In a lot of ways, Sunday afternoon felt like an identity win for the Bears. From the continued takeaway surge to the punishing running game to the whole team’s success in resetting in a short week after an emotional win. More from inside Halas Hall …

December 2008. The last time the Bears beat the Saints. Caleb Williams was 7. Ben Johnson was working as a software developer. What a peculiar 8-game skid this has been. Will Sunday reverse the voodoo?

“Some people might shy away from the opportunity. Our mindset is ‘F—! How good is this?’” Something significant seems to building for an arrow-up Bears team with a sense of direction, a passion-filled Type-A head coach and evidence of competitive grit. www.nytimes.com/athletic/671...

A play in disarray became a game-changing moment. And a breakout night from D’Andre Swift contributed to a potentially season-changing win. ⁦‪@kfishbain.bsky.social‬⁩ narrates the scene from Landover.

Amid the intense focus of an NFL season, players don’t go out of their way to meet the practice squad kicker. On Monday night, they were carrying him off the field. *Hi. Jake Moody. Damn glad to meet you.* What a moment. What a league.

WEEK 4 REVIEW The unofficial Caleb Williams report card of his 45 called passing plays vs. Raiders 🌟— 1 play (star power) 👍🏼— 11 plays (very nice) ⭕️— 24 plays 👎🏼— 8 plays (substandard) 🤢— 1 play (gross) (Includes three scrambles, two penalty “no plays” and two fumbles)

— TJ Edwards’ return. — What’s next for Austin Booker and Shemar Turner? — The search for a running game. ⁦‪‬⁩@kfishbain.bsky.social has mail 📬🏈 www.nytimes.com/athletic/670...

“The best thing I can do is learn to become more consistent, with a concentration that connects to everything I’m trying to achieve.” After infamy came for him in 2024, Tyrique Stevenson has much more of his story to write. ICYMI www.nytimes.com/athletic/669...

“Sometimes wins like that go a long way.” For this version of the Bears, a buildup of belief has become essential. So what will a gritty finish in Vegas really mean going forward?

“He was vulnerable. Hurt. Devastated. Alone. But that’s how he should have felt. That all comes with it. You let down 52 other guys. You let down 20-some coaches. You let down one of the most passionate football fan bases in the world. That’s heavy s—.”

Tyrique Stevenson’s passion remains his fuel. His background made him stronger. Fatherhood has provided added purpose. Now, as his painful Hail Mary scars heal, Stevenson is trying like hell to raise his focus and become his best self. DEEP DIVE: