As a team that generally skews younger, the Chicago Bears don't have many players who have been selected to multiple Pro Bowls. That is in line to change moving forward, as those young guys assert themselves among the best players at their position in the league.
The NFL has pretty much given up on making the Pro Bowl a legit thing, as it has now become the "Pro Bowl Games" rather than an actual football game. But as long as it has potential financial implications (the value of fifth-year options, primarily), being elected to the Pro Bowl will matter to players.
Pro Bowl selections do look good on a career resume, too.
Without further ado, here are five Bears who could earn the first Pro Bowl nod of their career in 2026.
5 Chicago Bears who can be first time Pro Bowlers in 2026
5. S Coby Bryant
As part of a clear effort to make the defense younger and faster this offseason, Bryant was signed to replace Kevin Byard at safety. Over his last two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, he had 139 total tackles with seven interceptions and 13 pass breakups. He missed two games last season; otherwise, he would've easily played over 1,000 defensive snaps during the regular season.
If Bryant takes the next step in his career progression in his first year as a Bear, a Pro Bowl nod would be in the cards.
4. WR Luther Burden
The breakout buzz around Burden is rampant heading into his second season, and no less an authority than Bears head coach Ben Johnson is ready to invest heavily.
"I'm buying Luther Burden stock right now. How he's approached this offseason, it's been electric", Johnson said at OTAs. "It showed up yesterday, he had numerous explosive plays. I loved how in Phase 2 he was finishing every single rep that he took...He's in a really good spot. He's still developing and growing his route tree...He's been extremely coachable, so I'm really happy with him."
Burden took some time to get going as a rookie, but once he had a notable role and things generally came together he looked good. If the crop of Pro Bowl-caliber wide receivers wasn't so deep in the NFC, he would be higher on this list.
3. QB Caleb Williams
After taking a notable step in his second season, Williams surely has another level in him heading into his third season. It will now be about finding consistency and making the simple throws alongside the improbable plays fans love to see.
Bears' pass catchers can also help Williams out a lot by cutting down on the volume of drops they had last season. Give him those unrealized plays this year, and then some, perhaps, and a Pro Bowl nod may follow easily. Having part of the election process subject to fan voting can only help, as even non-Bears fans can appreciate what he does. He is also now a Madden cover athlete.
2. TE Colston Loveland
As Bears' breakout candidates for 2026 go, Loveland is (at least) near the top of the list. His final four games as a rookie (including the playoffs) were on another level for a tight end, and Johnson has pulled no punches to praise the second-year man this offseason.
Trey McBride is not going anywhere as a perennial Pro Bowl tight end in the NFC. But that second spot feels wide open, and Loveland has a great chance to stake his claim to it until further notice this season.
1. RT Darnell Wright
Wright's 2025 season exposes one flaw in the Pro Bowl selection process, but there's also no obvious way to fix it. He earned a Second Team All-Pro nod, and he was the top vote-getter at right tackle in the fan voting portion of the selection process, which is its own animal in a popularity contest vein, but he failed to earn a Pro Bowl nod.
Coaches and players make up the other two-thirds of Pro Bowl voting. Those who didn't play the Bears last season, beyond seeing any highlights against a top-end edge rusher that surfaced, simply would have had a hard time knowing how well Wright was performing.
Read more: Bears named team to watch as NFL offensive personnel trend takes next step
This year, as Wright also currently nears becoming one of the highest-paid right tackles in the league, that Pro Bowl snub from last year is easily in line to be rectified.
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