The Packers-Bears rivalry in 2026 reaches Lambeau Field with Chicago at 3-1, Green Bay at 2-2, and another argument already simmering beneath the standings. This one starts with rookies. Four weeks into the season, Chicago has watched Dillon Thieneman turn open grass into closing lanes and Malik Muhammad II turn early playing time into takeaways. Green Bay has leaned on Brandon Cisse at corner while Trey Smack, the final pick of its draft class, has already kicked the Packers through an overtime finish and drilled two field goals from at least 58 yards.
That makes the question more interesting than a simple tackles leaderboard. Rookie value depends on draft cost, responsibility, mistakes avoided, and moments that change games. Chicago spent more premium capital. Green Bay entered the draft without a first-rounder for a franchise-altering reason. Still, through the first month, one class has delivered more answers.
Right now, that class belongs to the Bears.
Chicago Has Already Found Two Defensive Starters
Chicago did not draft Thieneman 25th overall to watch him learn from the sideline. The Bears needed speed at safety, and the former Oregon and Purdue standout stepped directly into the middle of the defense.
He has responded with 30 tackles through four games, the most on Chicago’s roster. Seven came Sunday against the Jets, when the Bears held New York to 157 total yards and zero conversions on seven third-down attempts.
The best example of Thieneman’s rookie value, though, came a week earlier against Philadelphia.
Dillon Thieneman’s Eagles Sequence Showed the Whole Package
Late near Chicago’s goal line, Saquon Barkley bounced toward the sideline. Thieneman started in the middle of the field, accelerated across the formation and shoved Barkley out at the 1.
Two snaps later, he helped stone Barkley for no gain at the 2.
Then came the payoff.
On the next play, Thieneman intercepted Jalen Hurts in the back of the end zone and killed the possession. Three snaps showed three different jobs: range, run support and ball production. That sequence explains his early impact far better than simply saying he “flies sideline to sideline.”
His speed also gives defensive coordinator Dennis Allen more freedom. Allen joined Ben Johnson’s staff in 2025 after his stint as New Orleans Saints head coach, bringing years of experience designing aggressive NFL defenses. With Thieneman patrolling the back end, Allen can rotate coverages and attack protections without leaving every mistake exposed behind the rush.
The rookie still has work ahead. Safeties eventually get tested with route combinations designed specifically to manipulate their eyes. Through September and the opening weekend of October, however, Thieneman looks less like a rookie surviving snaps and more like a defender Chicago already trusts.
That difference matters.
Malik Muhammad II Has Created Fourth-Round Surplus Value
Muhammad makes Chicago’s argument stronger because the Bears did not spend first-round capital to get him.
They selected the Texas corner at No. 124 overall. Four games later, he has 13 tackles, one sack and one interception.
His debut offered the first hint.
Carolina drove toward halftime with a chance to cut into Chicago’s lead. Muhammad, playing 76 percent of the defensive snaps, intercepted Bryce Young and ended the threat. Coach Ben Johnson later praised the rookie’s sticky coverage and fearlessness.
A week later, Muhammad added his first NFL sack against Minnesota.
That is meaningful rookie value from a fourth-round corner. He has already shown he can cover, pressure the quarterback and finish a takeaway. More importantly, Chicago has not needed to redesign the defense simply because a rookie entered the lineup.
First-round players should help quickly. Fourth-round players who immediately hold up in coverage give a front office something different: surplus.
Chicago already has both.
The Draft Capital Gap Changes the Green Bay Comparison
Any fair comparison must stop here and acknowledge why Green Bay’s rookie class looks different.
The Packers never owned the No. 20 selection on draft weekend because they had used it to acquire Micah Parsons from Dallas. In August 2025, Green Bay traded Kenny Clark plus its 2026 and 2027 first-round picks for one of football’s premier pass rushers, then signed Parsons to an extension. That was not a minor draft-day transaction. It changed the franchise’s defensive timeline and removed Green Bay from the first round for two consecutive drafts.
So Green Bay’s rookie value cannot be graded as though general manager Brian Gutekunst simply wasted a premium pick. The Packers converted that resource into an established star.
Their actual 2026 rookie class began at No. 52 with Cisse. Green Bay then selected defensive tackle Chris McClellan at 77, edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton at 120, lineman Jager Burton at 153, corner Domani Jackson at 201 and Smack at 216. Jackson did not make the initial 53-man roster.
Chicago still deserves credit for producing more immediate rookie impact. The context simply keeps the comparison from becoming a rout.
Green Bay’s Best Bargain Has a Kicker’s Right Leg
Smack has made the sixth round look valuable already.
In Week 1 at Minnesota, the former Florida kicker drilled a 59-yarder, the second-longest field goal in Packers history. Against the Jets one week later, Green Bay drove to the 8-yard line in overtime and sent the rookie onto the field. Smack buried the 26-yard winner.
Sunday brought another test.
Tampa Bay’s heat hung over Raymond James Stadium, and Green Bay needed every point in a 17-14 win. Smack connected from 58 yards. Through four games, he has made six of seven field-goal attempts and both of his tries from 50 to 59 yards.
When a kicker proves he can hit from 59, he stops feeling like a specialist tucked at the bottom of the roster. He starts changing the coach’s decision sheet.
A drive that stalls at the opponent’s 41 no longer guarantees a punt. A final possession does not need to reach the 25. Field position stretches, and fourth-down math changes with it.
That is real rookie value, especially from pick No. 216.
Smack may not play 60 snaps every Sunday, but he can decide the one snap everyone remembers.
Brandon Cisse Has Earned Responsibility and Taken Rookie Lumps
Green Bay’s heaviest rookie workload belongs to Cisse.
The second-round corner has 19 tackles and a half-sack through four games. He opened the season as a starter and remained heavily involved until a neck injury and concussion evaluation forced him out against Tampa Bay.
That workload deserves credit. Cornerback offers very few hiding places in the NFL.
Atlanta proved it.
During the Packers’ Week 3 loss, Drake London finished with 194 receiving yards. His biggest catch went for 68. On that third-and-2 play, Green Bay sat in a single-high Cover 3 look. Cisse carried London vertically but played the route as though help would arrive over the top. The coverage never closed, and London ran free into open grass.
That is the kind of mistake rookie corners remember because the scoreboard remembers it too.
Cisse has not been a bust. Far from it. Starting immediately at corner carries obvious rookie value, and his willingness to tackle has helped Green Bay on the perimeter. But Chicago’s two young defensive backs have produced more clean impact plays to this point.
His health now adds another wrinkle before the Bears visit Lambeau.
The Middle of Both Classes Still Needs Time
Four games can reveal roles. They cannot finish draft grades.
Dennis-Sutton gives Green Bay a useful example. The fourth-round edge has 10 tackles and a half-sack, including two quarterback hits during the overtime victory over the Jets. He has not become a featured pass rusher, but he has earned a legitimate place in the rotation.
McClellan has five tackles from the interior. Burton provides backup flexibility at center and guard. Neither player has changed Green Bay’s season yet, but defensive tackles and interior linemen often need more than one month before their value becomes obvious.
Chicago can afford similar patience with its supporting picks.
The Bears drafted offensive lineman Logan Jones in Round 2, tight end Sam Roush and receiver Zavion Thomas in Round 3, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott in Round 5 and defensive lineman Jordan van den Berg in Round 6. None has matched the immediate defensive splash from Thieneman or Muhammad.
That does not weaken Chicago’s case. It sharpens it.
The Bears already have a first-round safety leading the team in tackles and a fourth-round corner contributing splash plays. Green Bay has a starting corner still learning on the job, a useful rotational edge and a late-round kicker producing premium moments.
One group has more depth of impact. The other has one spectacular bargain.
Lambeau Gets the Next Vote
Four games offer enough evidence for an early judgment, not a permanent draft grade. Chicago holds the advantage because Thieneman and Muhammad already handle difficult, every-down defensive responsibilities. Green Bay counters with Smack’s remarkable late-round return, Cisse’s starting workload and Dennis-Sutton’s place in the edge rotation.
The margin now gets tested on the same field.
When Chicago visits Lambeau on October 11, Thieneman will have to diagnose Jordan Love instead of Bryce Young or Jalen Hurts. Muhammad could see Green Bay attack him with motion, stacked releases and formations designed to force split-second communication. If Cisse clears the injury process, Ben Johnson can return the favor by making him sort through traffic and route combinations before the ball comes out.
Then there is Smack.
One stalled possession near midfield could suddenly become a scoring opportunity. In a rivalry where one possession often separates celebration from frustration, the rookie’s range can change how Matt LaFleur manages the final yards of a drive.
That is why the Packers-Bears rivalry in 2026 offers such a useful test of these draft classes. Chicago has produced the stronger early return, but rookies rarely develop in straight lines. One coverage bust, one interception or one kick from 58 yards can change the conversation before the fourth quarter ends.
For now, the Bears have the edge.
Lambeau gets the next vote.
READ MORE: Green Bay Packers 2026 Draft: Why the Secondary Must Start taking the Ball Away
FAQs
Q1. Which team has gotten more value from its 2026 rookie class?
Chicago has the early edge. Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad II already handle major defensive roles, while Green Bay has fewer weekly impact players.
Q2. How many tackles does Dillon Thieneman have through four games?
Thieneman has 30 tackles through four games, which leads the Bears. He has also recorded an interception.
Q3. Where was Malik Muhammad II drafted?
Chicago selected Muhammad 124th overall in the fourth round. He already has 13 tackles, one sack and one interception.
Q4. How has Trey Smack performed for the Packers?
Smack has made six of seven field goals through four games. He also kicked an overtime game-winner against the Jets and has shown range beyond 50 yards.
Q5. Why did the Packers not have a first-round pick in 2026?
Green Bay traded its 2026 and 2027 first-round picks plus Kenny Clark to Dallas for Micah Parsons before the 2025 season.
