The excitement for Chicago Bears rookie defensive lineman Jordan van den Berg has seen a slow build-up to where it is currently.
We didn’t hear much from the sixth-round pick during the team’s OTAS and minicamp and, in fact, it appeared he was going through the usual growing pains you’d expect from a rookie at that time.
Van den Berg clearly started ascending early in training camp, and then things really came to a head during the preseason, when the Georgia Tech product shined, especially against the Cincinnati Bengals in preseason Week 2.
As we prepare to enter the 2026 season, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who had pegged van den Berg as someone the Bears were very high on long before his seeming explosion in training camp and the preseason, is keeping the hype train rolling right along.
Fowler notes that the Bears are “excited” about the rookie and the NFL insider expects van den Berg to “affect Chicago’s defensive front.”
“The Bears have been very excited about sixth-round defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg since the predraft process, as if he were their secret player that the rest of the league hadn’t yet discovered. Expect him to affect Chicago’s defensive front,” Fowler wrote.
More than just athleticism
When the Bears drafted him, all we could talk about was van den Berg’s ridiculous athleticism, which was confirmed by his Relative Athletic Score that was measured at a 9.99 out of 10.
But as we’ve seen throughout training camp and the preseason, he is a lot more than just uber-athletic. The rookie has flashed plenty of strength and is proving he can be a people-mover, and he’s shown the right level of feisty, too.
With that combination of power and athleticism, van den Berg has the potential to be an impact pass-rusher, something he showed in the preseason when he notched seven pressures.
The rookie has also shown flashes of being a plus against the run after he showed steady improvement in college and posted a few run stops in exhibition play.
Will Jordan van den Berg start in 2026?
The Bears have not come out and said who will start next to Grady Jarrett now that Gervon Dexter is gone via trade to the Atlanta Falcons.
On their first unofficial depth chart for the regular season, Chicago has Kentavius Street listed as a starter after his strong offseason drew praise from defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Even if it is Street who starts, van den Berg is going to see the field plenty as the Bears rotate guys in and out along the defensive line.
Van den Berg is listed as the backup behind Street, while Neville Gallimore, who we thought would start after Dexter was traded, sits behind Jarrett. That should be your main four in the Bears’ rotation.
Who gets the most snaps out of those four players remains to be seen, but we like van den Berg’s odds of leading the pack by the end of the season.
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