The Chicago Bears hoped that after a quiet free agency, they would find a home-run sleeper pick in Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. It turns out that they were 100% right so far.
Van den Berg had a nice opening preseason performance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 with one tackle and one quarterback hit. He decided to one-up his performance with another one.
In the Bears' 27-9 preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, van den Berg was even more disruptive on the defensive line. He finished with three tackles, two of them solo, and plenty of damage was done to the Bengals' offensive line during the game.
Jordan van den Berg is a force on the Bears' defensive line
There were always high hopes for van den Berg and the player he could become. He was one of the leaders in the ACC last year in tackles for loss with 11.
Chicago needed help on the defensive line, with Gervon Dexter Sr. being the only reliable tackle for the moment. The Bears were hoping to have a future replacement for Grady Jarrett in anticipation of another down season after giving him nearly $50 million on a three-year deal last offseason.
This offseason, the Bears desperately tried to sign multiple cheap veterans at defensive tackle to fill out the position. Van den Berg is making all those guys look bad after just two games.
It's clear van den Berg won't always put up the big stats everyone wants to see. When fans watch his tape, though, he is 100% a disruptor. He shows great strength and always gets in the backfield in some way.
In recent years, the Bears haven't had much luck selecting defensive rookies in the draft, but the 2026 season looks different. First-round pick Dillon Thieneman has the potential to be great at safety, and van den Berg could end up being the sleeper of the draft at the rate he is going.
It's not 100% clear what van den Berg's role will be on the team in 2026, but he is making a convincing case for a spot in the rotation. If Grady keeps declining, it could be van den Berg's time to step in and be a starter on this team sooner than some expected.
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Van den Berg is off to a strong start to his NFL career, as he is filling a need on the roster that Bears fans wanted to see happen in free agency. It seems Bears general manager Ryan Poles may have gotten it right on the defensive line after all.
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