The Chicago Bears seem to have solid ground at the linebacker position, but with some turnover happening, there is some wiggle room for a new starter to hop in during the 2026 season.
Chicago moves on from Tremaine Edmunds during the offseason to help them save money against the salary cap. While one key guy, D'Marco Jackson, is returning and the team is adding Devin Bush at linebacker, it seems the Bears have everything they need at the position.
During the 2026 NFL Draft, the Bears were a bit split between selecting offensive and defensive players. Their fifth-round pick, Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott, might end up surprising some people and could fight his way into the starting lineup.
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Last season with the Sun Devils, Elliott had 98 tackles and a career-high seven sacks. He was selected as a second-team All-Big 12 member.
More than likely, Elliott's Year 1 will be more of a learning season, as he will play a major role on special teams. The Bears hope he ends up as a special teams ace like Josh Blackwell.
Elliott will have quite a battle to get into the starting lineup, as T.J. Edwards and Bush could end up being the clear-cut starters. Last year, Chicago had a heavy rotation of linebackers, but that was mostly due to injuries.
That helped them discover that Jackson could be a future starter on the team, so Elliott could be on the same boat. Even if he isn't going to start on opening weekend, Elliott has the skill set and instincts to become an eventual starter.
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Chicago will have some interesting decisions to make at linebacker, and Elliott is not going to make it easy on defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and his coaching staff.
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