Bears Starter on the Hot Seat Following 2026 NFL Draft

It may not seem like it, but these moves were made with the future in mind.

Thieneman is going to start alongside Bryant at safety, with Jones as an option at center once the team moves on from Bradbury. Roush is in a similar position; he could be used in a 12 or 13-man personnel, but with Cole Kmet's contract running out in 2028, he could be the next man up at tight end.

Muhammad added much-needed depth at corner after the Bears had Nahshon Wright and C.J. Gardner-Johnson leave in free agency. Elliott and Van Den Berg have both been highly graded as late-round picks.

With Muhammad, he could definitely compete for the No. 2 position at cornerback. ESPN's Ben Solak agrees and believes Tyrique Stevenson's job may be up for grabs.

Solak was shocked that a player like Muhammad fell to the fourth round.

"A surprise faller to Day 3 of the draft was Texas CB Malik Muhammad," Solak said. "A multiyear starter and still just 21 years old, Muhammad has the profile of someone who gets drafted on Day 2. That's especially true when you factor in his combine testing, where Muhammad had a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-11 broad jump, all at 6-foot with arms over 32 inches. I still don't know how that skill set made it to Round 4."

At the end of the day, the Bears would love Stevenson to have a better year, but if Muhammad does well in the offseason, it's going to be harder to limit his playing time.

"The Bears would much prefer Stevenson to play (and excel) over Muhammad," Solak said. "That would mean Stevenson could walk in free agency, sign a huge deal elsewhere, and give Chicago a nice compensatory pick in return. But if Muhammad shines in camp, the Bears might struggle to keep him off the field while Stevenson gets targeted opposite Johnson."

Jaylon Johnson is going to reprise his role as this team's top corner. Now that Kyler Gordon is healthy, he'll be the slot corner. There seems to be a logjam at the No. 2 CB, though.

You have Stevenson, Muhammad, and even a guy like Zah Frazier, who missed all of last season due to a personal issue, who could compete for the No. 2 spot.

It sounds like we could have an interesting position battle this offseason at corner.