The Chicago Bears have enjoyed some positive developments, and here is their biggest bombshell surprise from 2026 NFL training camp.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson looks on during Minicamp at Halas Hall.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Certainly, the Chicago Bears have a fantasy lightning rod in Luther Burden III. But they also have a quarterback who could really cut loose this season. On the other side of the ball, they have a rookie who caught eyes. And here is the Bears’ biggest bombshell surprise from 2026 NFL training camp.
Defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg is that guy. And a veteran lineman for the Bears said it's no fluke, according to the Bears’ YouTube page via Sports Illustrated.
“I think he’s gonna be a hell of a football player,” Bears veteran lineman Neville Gallimore said. “I think he’s growing. His understanding of the game is improving every day. I just love his competitiveness.”
Bears DT Jordan van den Berg looking good
It’s not just on the practice field, either. Van den Berg is proving to be a good teammate, too.
“Great guy for the locker room,” Gallimore said. “He does his job at a high level and, again, I think he’s only going to get better as he continues to be a part of the system.
“I’ll say, man, the greatest thing that ever happened to him was coming to this team and being a part of this defense. I think he’s going to be a guy that surprises a lot of people this year.”
The Bears grabbed van den Berg in the sixth round of this year’s draft. The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder was seen as an average backup or special teams player, according to NFL.com.
“Elite testing numbers at his pro day will send scouts back to the tape for further evaluation,” Lance Zierlein wrote. “He possesses disruptive first-step quickness and heavy hands to beat blocks. (Also,) he carries average mass and below-average length. He needs to prove he can take on NFL blockers at the point of attack.”
And now that he’s in camp, he’s showing the higher end of that assessment, so far. Still, he’s behind Gervon Dexter Sr., Grady Jarrett, and Gallimore on the depth chart. He will also have to battle past James Lynch, Kentavius Street, Jayden Loving, and the injured Shemar Turner.
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said van den Berg has stood out in training camp, according to bearswire.com.
“He’s another guy that has really taken to the coaching,” Allen said. “He plays with great pad level. He can get in a good stance and come off and strike the line of scrimmage. And he’s got some pretty good football instincts. He plays extremely hard.
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“A lot of the things that we saw on tape at Georgia Tech, we’re seeing a lot of those same athletic qualities show up. And I think that’s what training camp is all about. You have to go out there, and you have to let the guys go out there and compete.”
Allen said van den Berg has taken the first step. He caught the eyes of the coaches.
“When you start off with the threes and then all of a sudden you show up, and you catch our attention, then we’ve got to find ways to get you some reps with the twos,” Allen said. “And if you continue to catch our attention, then we’ve got to find some ways to get you some reps with the ones because that’s how you really evaluate what you have in the player.”
Bears defense could be tough up front
If van den Berg keeps developing, he could be a very important rotational piece in 2026. The Bears already had Jarrett and Dexter. And then they added, who came into the league with the Cowboys before playing for the Rams and Colts. Gallimore started eight games last year for the Colts.
And Gallimore showed something early on to Garrett, according to bearswire.com.
“He's a heck of a competitor,” Jarrett said. “He brings an edge to our defense as a whole and. You can tell he loves his job. He definitely brings life to the room. But he's a worker first, and he's going to be a highly productive player for us. I'm happy that he's with us.”
Injuries have hit the Bears’ defense hard this season. That’s especially true of the linebacker and secondary positions. So anything they can get as a boost up front will help the back end stay competitive. Perhaps van den Berg can be one of those helpers.
Douglas Fritz is an experienced sports journalist covering the NFL, MLB, and NBA for ClutchPoints. Douglas spent over 30 years writing at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper covering University of Tennessee athletics. He is also a screenwriter, book writer, and songwriter.