The Chicago Bears will open their 2026 preseason against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. As expected, quarterback Caleb Williams and other starters won't suit up, but plenty of other players of interest will play as training camp position battles, etc., hit the level of a game setting.
For some of those Bears' players, a strong start to the preseason will be very important. The Browns seem poised to play their starters quite a bit, whatever that ultimately looks like, so it will be a good test for those who are looking to assert themselves.
In particular, these five Bears really need a strong start to the preseason.
5 Bears players who need a strong start to the preseason vs. Browns
5. DE Dayo Odeyingbo
How much Odeyingbo will play against Cleveland is a question, but coming off an injury-wrecked first season as a Bear, he may get some reps. He is listed as a starter on the first unofficial depth chart, but he also has to ward off Austin Booker for the starting spot opposite Montez Sweat. If Booker plays, and it's fair to assume he will, Odeyingbo should too.
Even if Odeyingbo only plays a series or two, an impactful play or two would be an order to kick off his preseason the right way.
4. WR Scotty Miller
Amid the buzz around other Bears wide receivers to this point, all the way down to camp standout Kaden Davis, Miller has flown below the radar by comparison. With five wide receivers as lead-pipe locks for the 53-man roster (Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker and Zavion Thomas), someone could make the case for a sixth to be kept, and for them to be the guy if so.
Davis would be an easy inclusion on this list, as he looks to seamlessly carry his camp performance to the preseason in that WR6 battle. But Miller has some real catching up to do, so the stakes are higher for him against the Browns.
3. RB Roschon Johnson
After injuries helped limit him to seven games last season, and he played just four offensive snaps when he did suit up, Johnson has basically been on the roster bubble since mid-January. Add in Salvon Ahmed advancing himself as a legit threat to be the Bears' RB3 thus far in training camp, and Johnson needs a strong preseason quite badly.
Johnson's special teams value still gives him a lingering edge over Ahmed if the Bears only keep three running backs on their initial 53-man roster. But the level of work he's lined up for against the Browns is an opportunity to shine as a runner, and he needs to take advantage.
2. OT Jedrick Wills
1. OT Kiran Amegadjie
Braxton Jones' recent practice absence has kept Amegadjie in the competition at left tackle to a degree he wasn't expected to be, even only heading into the first preseason game, and Ben Johnson told reporters the former third-round pick will get the start against the Browns.
Wills has been the more prominent competitor for Jones thus far, and he will follow Amegadjie against the team that drafted him. And, no, the order of who's playing left tackle against the Browns should not be read into as anything meaningful.
As long as Jones gets back on the practice field soon, he is still the favorite to be the Bears' Week 1 starting left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo may enter the equation if he makes a far faster-than-expected return from a torn patellar tendon, but that's very much to be determined.
Read more: Skids have been further greased for Bears RB D'Andre Swift to have huge 2026
When it comes down to it, Wills and Amegadjie may be battling for one spot on the 53-man roster. That battle is the one that truly ratchets up, more than which of the two might be able to usurp Jones, and they both need to perform well.
Add us as a preferred source on Google