- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,079
- Reaction score
- 59
The Bears went 11-6 last year and won the division. That’s good! Now let’s see if they can do it again — the last time the Bears made the playoffs in consecutive seasons — heck, the last time they had a winning record in consecutive seasons — was 2005-2006, when their quarterbacks were Rex Grossman and Brian Griese. Ben Johnson’s debut season in Chicago was a roaring success. But with all the fourth-quarter comebacks and surprise finishes, there is plenty of concern for regression in the year to come. The big question is whether the Bears can stave that off and be a contender for a second year in a row.
The Bears didn’t know what they might have in Monangai early in the year — he averaged 6.0 carries for 26.6 yards over his first seven games. He got a real opportunity in Week 9 with D’Andre Swift out, and he crushed it, going for 176 yards on 26 carries. Swift’s return meant he couldn’t be fully unleashed, but from Week 9 on, Monangai averaged 12.7 carries and 59.7 yards. Swift’s work wasn’t heavily impacted, but the Bears did rely on both backs much more down the stretch. Now entering 2026, the team hasn’t made any changes to the backfield, and it still has a top-five offensive line, so expect both backs to have a chance to punish defenses.
This isn’t as much that Burden will bust as it is staking a claim that he is not superior to Rome Oduzne, despite what the earliest ADPs have to say on the matter. Burden had a fine rookie year. He put up 652 yards and 2 touchdowns, coming on strong late after seeing very light usage early in the season — Burden averaged 2.3 targets per game through Week 8, but 6.0 from Week 10 on. And with DJ Moore gone, he’ll certainly see an increase in usage. But we’re selling Odunze short. Even in what turned out to be a disappointing second season for Odunze, he topped Burden in yards (661 to 652) and touchdowns (6 to 2) despite playing in three fewer games. Odunze started the season hot before a foot injury slowed him down. And Burden’s role overlaps more with Colston Loveland’s than does Odunze’s. I think any of the primary Bears’ weapons could be a good investment in 2026, but the current popular thinking of “Burden over Odunze” does not check out.
2025 was a banner year for rookie tight ends. There might not have been a Brock Bowers-esque explosion, but for whatever it (lightly) lacked in quality, it more than made up for in quantity, with four rookies finishing in the top 15 in PPR scoring (Tyler Warren TE4, Harold Fannin Jr. TE6, Loveland TE12, Oronde Gadsden TE15). That’s only the third time this century (along with 2013 and 2010) that four different rookie tight ends have topped 100 PPR points, and if you raise the threshold to 130, it’s the first time this century with more than two. But for 2026, Loveland is comfortably best positioned of the group. Just look at the potential flaws of the other options:
Meanwhile, Loveland saw 85 targets from last year’s team leave in the form of DJ Moore, and he already led the team in receiving once. Year 2 for a potential elite tight end should make him a top-tier tight end overall, and easily the best from his rookie class.
Continue reading...
2026 Sleepers, Busts & Bold Predictions: Chicago Bears
Sleeper: Kyle Monangai
The Bears didn’t know what they might have in Monangai early in the year — he averaged 6.0 carries for 26.6 yards over his first seven games. He got a real opportunity in Week 9 with D’Andre Swift out, and he crushed it, going for 176 yards on 26 carries. Swift’s return meant he couldn’t be fully unleashed, but from Week 9 on, Monangai averaged 12.7 carries and 59.7 yards. Swift’s work wasn’t heavily impacted, but the Bears did rely on both backs much more down the stretch. Now entering 2026, the team hasn’t made any changes to the backfield, and it still has a top-five offensive line, so expect both backs to have a chance to punish defenses.
Bust: Luther Burden III
You must be registered for see images attach
This isn’t as much that Burden will bust as it is staking a claim that he is not superior to Rome Oduzne, despite what the earliest ADPs have to say on the matter. Burden had a fine rookie year. He put up 652 yards and 2 touchdowns, coming on strong late after seeing very light usage early in the season — Burden averaged 2.3 targets per game through Week 8, but 6.0 from Week 10 on. And with DJ Moore gone, he’ll certainly see an increase in usage. But we’re selling Odunze short. Even in what turned out to be a disappointing second season for Odunze, he topped Burden in yards (661 to 652) and touchdowns (6 to 2) despite playing in three fewer games. Odunze started the season hot before a foot injury slowed him down. And Burden’s role overlaps more with Colston Loveland’s than does Odunze’s. I think any of the primary Bears’ weapons could be a good investment in 2026, but the current popular thinking of “Burden over Odunze” does not check out.
Bold Prediction: Colston Loveland Is the Top-Scoring Year 2 Tight End
2025 was a banner year for rookie tight ends. There might not have been a Brock Bowers-esque explosion, but for whatever it (lightly) lacked in quality, it more than made up for in quantity, with four rookies finishing in the top 15 in PPR scoring (Tyler Warren TE4, Harold Fannin Jr. TE6, Loveland TE12, Oronde Gadsden TE15). That’s only the third time this century (along with 2013 and 2010) that four different rookie tight ends have topped 100 PPR points, and if you raise the threshold to 130, it’s the first time this century with more than two. But for 2026, Loveland is comfortably best positioned of the group. Just look at the potential flaws of the other options:
- Warren could be the target leader in Indianapolis, but his quarterback situation is a huge question mark, given Daniel Jones is recovering from a late-season Achilles tear.
- Gadsden’s team has added significant competition for him this offseason in David Njoku and Charlie Kolar, and Ladd McConkey will certainly best him in targets.
- Fannin is a Brown, with all that entails.
Meanwhile, Loveland saw 85 targets from last year’s team leave in the form of DJ Moore, and he already led the team in receiving once. Year 2 for a potential elite tight end should make him a top-tier tight end overall, and easily the best from his rookie class.
Continue reading...
