Day 103 of the Chicago Bears offseason. At the request of friends, I am expanding my musical horizons. I gave Kacey Musgraves’ “Middle of Nowhere” album a listen on Friday night, and I enjoyed it. Even came away with a top-3 to discuss with my friends. It might be time for me to dive deeper into that catalogue.
I love seeing the budding bromance between Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Cubs all-star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong:?️ IT’S CHICAGO! t.co/QSS6SPlqib
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) May 1, 2026 PCA got a chance to see a playoff game last winter. The NFL schedule might not allow for Caleb to return the favor. Then again, maybe the schedule-makers will give Chicago’s football team an early-ish bye week (as it did last year) and clear the way for Williams to attend a Cubs playoff game at Wrigley. The Northsiders have a lot of work to do before they qualify for the postseason. But for what it’s worth, they are on a 99-win pace right now. So maybe it could happen. ESPN’s Matt Miller believes the Bears snagged three of the biggest steals of the 2026 NFL Draft. And who am I to diagree? Here is where they rank:11) Dillon Thieneman, safety (Round 1, Pick 25) (Miller’s final overall ranking: 17th)
The Bears’ offseason started with zero safeties under contract. GM Ryan Poles added Coby Bryant in free agency, but safety was a glaring hole we knew would get addressed in the draft too. What we didn’t know was that Thieneman would slip to them at No. 25. Being patient and playing the board paid off, as the Bears didn’t have to trade up to land a prospect who was frequently mocked to the Vikings at No. 18. Thieneman will be the point guard of the secondary, aligning at free safety but moving around the formation. With eight career interceptions, he is the playmaker Chicago’s secondary needs.
46) Malik Muhammad, cornerback (Round 4, Pick 124) (Miller: 70)
Further addressing the secondary by picking Muhammad was another step by the Bears to reform a unit that was heavily affected in free agency. Muhammad projects as a future starter opposite Jaylon Johnson and could fill that role as early as 2027, when Tyrique Stevenson’s rookie contract expires. Expect a lot of early reps as a rookie for the former Longhorn, who excelled in zone coverage in college and has 4.42 speed.
81) Keyshaun Elliott, linebacker (Round 5, Pick 166) (Miller: 95)
Linebacker didn’t rank as a top-five need in Chicago, but sometimes value and getting the best player available matters more. Elliott had a Day 2 grade and was stolen by the Bears in Round 5. Versatile and fast (he ran a 4.58 40 in the combine), Elliott had seven sacks last season while playing off-ball linebacker. Elliott was a high-character captain at Arizona State and should be one of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s favorites.
Keyshaun Elliott against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images I’m choosing to look at it this way: The Bears made seven picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, three of which landed among Miller’s 100 highest-ranked prospects. Two of those three top-100 prospects were selected on Day 3. No one can predict what the future holds for any of these players. But all things being equal, getting a pair of top-100 prospects with pick Nos. 124 and 166 is a tremendous value.THE BN BEARS PODCAST: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
While the Bears had some steals in last weekend, not every pick was viewed as a tremendous value. Chicago’s front office was dinged by Pro Football Focus for its Day 2 picks, with the selections of center Logan Jones (57th overall, but 95th on PFF’s Big Board) and wide receiver Zavion Thomas (89th overall, but 213th on PFF’s Big Board). I realize this isn’t a consensus board, so I’ll take the critique for what it’s worth. However, this serves as a reminder of (1) how many different big boards there are out there ahead of the draft and (2) how differently evaluators see players. Bryan DeArdo (CBS Sports) lines up the next dominoes that will fall now that the NFL Draft is fully in our rearview mirror. There is stuff in this post about the Cowboys possibly trading George Pickens, Brandon Aiyuk making his way to the Commanders, A.J. Brown finally getting traded to the Patriots, and Bijan Robinson signing a big deal to stick around with the Falcons. However, the idea of the Giants trading edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux pops up here. And while this is a post I want to expand on fully at some point next week, I wanted to make sure I mentioned it here to get the creative juices flowing because he could make sense as a potential Bears trade target when the dust settles after the preseason. Prosecutors in Michigan say there will be no charges filed against DK Metcalf stemming from an incident that happened between the Steelers receiver and a fan at a Detroit Lions game. The suspension that came for Metcalf after the altercation could have been a costly one, but it doesn’t sound like Pittsburgh is going to use that as a vehicle to save some cap space right now.FOLLOW BN BEARS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook | Twitter | BlueSky
Cole Bair’s Cubs Bullets underscore how Matt Shaw is thriving in the super-utlity role he has been assigned to this season. Shaw is slashing .289/.329/.487 and has played all three outfield spots, as well as every infield position except shortstop. I won’t go as far as to say Shaw is the new Zobrist. But if he can contribute in that way, then maybe we can have that conversation later in the year. Our friends at BN Bulls have a roundup of the latest rumors on the hardwood. This news bummed me out: Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard will not play for Canada in the World Championships.MORE BEARS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad-Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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