The Chicago Bears will open their 2026 season on the road Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. The two franchises are tied together by a 2023 trade that gave the Bears wide receiver DJ Moore and the No. 1 overall pick in the following year's draft, which, of course, yielded Caleb Williams.
While it's easy to envision a comfortable Bears win to start the season, the Panthers are the defending NFC South champions with plenty of talent all over the field. That will present a challenge to some individual Bears, with an extra layer of importance when it comes to starting the season well.
It's only Week 1, but these four Bears already have their backs against the wall.
4 Bears players whose backs are already against the wall in Week 1
4. C Garrett Bradbury
The Bears were fortunate to pivot quickly to a trade for Bradbury after Drew Dalman retired in March. If nothing else, he's an established, roughly average center who can keep a good offensive line afloat. But he's not a long-term option; they drafted Logan Jones to be.
Bradbury might start the entire season without issue, or Jones might be a serious threat to unseat him. Changing centers midseason could hurt continuity, too, not to mention moving to a rookie midseason.
Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown has been a top-20-graded player at the position by Pro Football Focus in each of the last three seasons in which he has played more than one game. But overall, Carolina's defensive line should not be much of a challenge to run against.
If Bradbury is somehow the weak link in the effort to reset the line of scrimmage in the run game on Sunday, it will show. And the noise calling for Jones to start will get louder.
3. S Xavier Woods
The unfortunate injury to Coby Bryant left the Bears looking to replace a starting safety with few good options to do so in early August, but Woods' history with defensive backs coach Al Harris in Dallas made for an easy fit.
Woods suffered an injury of his own during the preseason, but he did not appear on the first injury report for Week 1 and appears to be good to go.
The Bears don't necessarily need Woods to provide everything they hoped Bryant would after investing in him via free agency. But starting alongside a rookie, and with less than stellar-looking safety depth otherwise, the heat is on the veteran right away.
2. CB Tyrique Stevenson
This is a big season for Stevenson, in a contract year. He's the starter opposite Jaylon Johnson almost by default, with rookie Malik Muhammad set to see some work in the slot, and opponents will most likely have to find their passing game profits somewhere other than Johnson's direction.
Opponents having a bullseye on Stevenson is nothing new, and the Panthers will find him no matter who he's covering. With that, he needs to set the tone for a solid 2026 season right away.
1. LT Braxton Jones
It's clear Jones is only going to start at left tackle until Ozzy Trapilo is ready. His ability to hold down that fort is rooted in health as much as in his performance, for however many games that'll be. If he falls short in either area, a separate reset before Trapilo is ready may be necessary, and it won't be ideal.
Sunday should bring an immediate test for Jones against Panthers edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, as defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero surely moves him away from a matchup against the Bears' right tackle Darnell Wright and targets the lesser offensive tackle.
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Short of performing at an All-Pro level, which he never has, Jones' job security is only in his hands until Trapilo is deemed ready. But the spotlight is naturally on him in the meantime, starting right off the bat in Week 1.
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