Bears training camp opens later this month, and while every rookie in Chicago’s seven-man draft class has something to prove, three of them walk in with real snaps on the line. First-round safety Dillon Thieneman isn’t in that group; he ran with the starters at minicamp and looks locked into a role already. The three below still have to earn theirs.
Zavion Thomas
Thomas turned heads during spring practices, a strong start in his bid for an offensive role right out of the gate. Shorts-and-t-shirt reps at OTAs and minicamp are one thing, though, and full pads change the math at camp. If he carries that spring form forward and shows he’s got the playbook down, something GM Ryan Poles has pointed to as the gate for his playing time, Thomas could push for WR3 work and looks in the return game. Fall short, and his early-season snaps could be scarce.
Logan Jones
Chicago looked settled at center once it traded for Garrett Bradbury following Drew Dalman’s surprise retirement. Then the Bears spent a second-round pick on Jones, and the rookie is now in line to challenge the veteran for the starting job. Bradbury’s experience makes him the favorite, but he isn’t unbeatable, and Jones supplanting him before Week 1 is a live possibility.
Malik Muhammad
Muhammad, like Jones, landed in a starting competition. With Nahshon Wright gone, the Bears are set to lean on Tyrique Stevenson at one corner spot, and that’s shaky ground given Stevenson was benched a year ago and had his own struggles in the spring. Muhammad is the one player positioned to change that. If he can’t beat Stevenson out, he opens the year as a backup, and Chicago risks a repeat of its CB2 problems in 2026.
