Grading the Chicago Bears midway through the 2026 season

It’s time for the Chicago Bears to take a break after an exciting first half of the season. The team will have its bye week midway through the season this weekend before returning to action against the New Orleans Saints in Week 11 at Soldier Field. The Bears are one of the NFL’s top stories and have shown no signs of regression from last year’s playoff run. Despite missing three games because of injury, quarterback Caleb Williams has taken a major step this season, with the exception of Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, general manager Ryan Poles took a big swing and acquired defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, making the Bears a Super Bowl contender.The midseason bye week is a great chance to take stock in the team. Shaw Local Bears beat reporter Michal Dwojak and Northwest Herald sports reporter Joe Aguilar are handing out their midseason grades this week. Here’s what they’ve seen so far.QuarterbackDwojak: A-I’m including all three QBs that have played in games fo