The Chicago Bears got back to work in preparation for the 2026 season, completing the first three days of voluntary OTAs before returning back next week.
There were plenty of nice highlights from the practices that showed off how good the offense is going to look, including incredible throws by quarterback Caleb Williams. It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, but it already sounds like the Bears are making good progress in practice.
Bears fans are curious to see who the big winners and losers were from the first week of work during the 2026 offseason. The good news is that there were plenty of winners from it who should lay the foundation for a great season ahead for the Bears.
Winner: Zavion Thomas, WR
That 4.28 speed was eventually going to be shown off, and it already has. Thomas caught a nice deep ball pass from Williams for a touchdown in a clip shown by the social media team. For a guy who is expected to be just a special teams player in 2026, Thomas is making enough noise to put himself in a position to get some playing time on offense.
Loser: Dillon Thieneman, S
Not only was Thieneman taking second-team reps, but he also dropped an interception at OTAs that forced him to do push-ups. It's early and just one week of work, so a lot can change and probably will since he should be a Day 1 starter. Still, it's something to monitor over the next two weeks to see how much he can improve before Week 1 of the NFL regular season.
Winner: Austin Booker, EDGE
It was a nice start for Booker, who has a lot of confidence from the team behind him, but also some pressure to play well. There was a highlight throw by Williams while he was under pressure, but the pressure came from Booker off the edge. While he couldn't complete it with a sack, it's at least a good sign that he might already be prepared to be the starter, with him playing well.
Winner: Ben Johnson, Head Coach
Despite some of the same pre-snap issues the Bears had at training camp last year, the Bears seem to be in a much different place in OTAs than they were in 2025. Johnson has this team in the right mindset and more comfortable with where things are now. This Bears team looks like a playoff-caliber team again, and the high praises coming out of OTAs are a good indicator of that.
Read more: New Madden 27 leak just fired up Bears fans (but also made them nervous)
Winner: Caleb Williams, QB
There are so many highlight throws he made at OTAs throughout the week that it's too hard to keep track of. Sound familiar? Williams already seems to be in midseason form with the deep throws he is making to guys like Thomas and Odunze. There's a reason Madden 27 might have picked the "Iceman" to be on the cover.
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