These days at Halas Hall, it's rare to see rookie defensive tackles Jordan van den Berg and Jayden Loving apart. Even less likely is seeing them without smiles on their faces or laughter between them.
The self-proclaimed Superman and Batman duo — although they bicker over who is Superman each day — have become locker room favorites almost as quickly as they became friends after arriving in Chicago this May.
Their friendship began with a simple Instagram message.
On the final day of the NFL Draft April 25, the Bears selected Van den Berg out of Georgia Tech in the sixth round. Later that day, Loving — an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest — signed with the team. Having played against the Demon Deacons during the 2025 season, Van den Berg recognized Loving's name and felt inclined to reach out.
"We both played in the ACC, and I felt like we both play with a lot of great effort, very similar players," Van den Berg said. "So I thought iron sharpens iron. Let me connect with someone that can push me, I can push him.
"It would be a win-win situation."
Just a couple of months prior, Loving showed his college coaches a video from Yellow Jackets pro day in which Van den Berg posted a 4.19-second 20-yard shuttle run. His time was almost a half second faster than the best time by a defensive tackle at this year's combine and the fastest time by a DT since at least 2013. So when Loving received the message from Van den Berg, he lit up.
"He was like, 'okay, ACC boys — we'll have something in common when we first get there,'" Loving recalled. "And then once we got here, it just been — I don't even know — just right to it…"
"He's just my best friend now," Van den Berg interjected.
"He's my guy," Loving responded.
The 2026 rookie class arrived at Halas Hall May 7 for the start of rookie minicamp, and it was that first day's meeting where Van den Berg and Loving set their intentions for the next few months.
"As soon as we met each other, we were like, 'okay, this is how we're gonna lay it out,'" Loving said. "I feel like I'm a big believer of speaking into existence. We said, 'We're both going to make the 53.'
"It's literally what we kept telling each other. So we came to work with that same mindset every day. Like, we're here to go kill. Kill or be killed, and we're here to go kill."
It would've been easy for the rookies to take a more selfish approach and focus only on their own trajectory rather than lifting each other up. They were joining a group of defensive tackles that boasted decades of NFL experience and featured three new veteran free-agent additions: Neville Gallimore, Kentavius Street and James Lynch.
The odds of one of the rookies making the 53-man roster were solid, but for both to earn a spot, the climb would be steep, though the tougher path actually felt more familiar for both players.
Growing up in South Africa, Van den Berg didn't start playing football until 10th grade, and the first position he played was wide receiver. Coming out of high school with no scholarship offers, he played his first collegiate season at the JUCO level for Iowa Western Community College (2020). After a stellar season where he earned first-team junior college All-America honors, he transferred to Penn State (2021-23) before spending his final two seasons at Georgia Tech (2024-25), where he blossomed at defensive tackle and earned All-ACC honors both years.
Loving had a similar collegiate path, first spending two years at Bethune-Cookman (2021-22), a small HBCU in Florida that competed in the Football Championship Subdivision, before playing two seasons at Western Kentucky (2022-24) and his final year at Wake Forest (2025).
Knowing they had both worked their way from the bottom to the top before, the pair felt confident that tackling this new challenge together would increase their chances of making the Bears roster by the end of August.
"Going right into rookie minicamp, it was a lot," Van den Berg said. "A lot was thrown at us, so just being able to have someone that, they're doing it with you, just being able to lean on something like that, it helped me a lot. I felt like every time one of us made plays, we built off that energy, just something to get excited for."
Their friendship not only gave them a person to lean on, bounce ideas off of and stay accountable with during their first NFL training camp; it also furthered their ultra-competitive natures.
"He's 100% at all times, so just having somebody that's always going to be ready to go, I feel like that drives you and makes you want to play harder and go harder," Loving said. " Of course, I already play hard, but having somebody to accompany me in that, it's a blessing for sure. We push each other every day, we compete every day. I hate to lose. He hates to lose, so that's really what drives us."
"Whatever he benches or squats, I'm gonna have to do the same," Van den Berg added. "So it's just iron sharpens iron. I'm not gonna let him put more on the bar than me."
"Yeah, I don't even like when he walks faster than me," Loving joked.
While that energy may explain why the pair are literally in lockstep as they walk through the facility, it's more than likely the bond they've formed off the field is what keeps them joined at the hip.
After establishing their shared goal during the offseason program this spring, the duo decided to build on that work. So, Loving, a Hamilton, Alabama, native, spent a week living with the Van den Berg family in the Atlanta area at the start of July so they could train together in preparation for training camp.
Aside from eating a buffet of home-cooked meals every day, the best part of Loving's week for Loving more about Van den Berg away from football, and better understanding how his upbringing shaped the individual Loving describes as a "caring person."
"I felt too at home," Loving said. "I got a little too comfortable out there. It was amazing. His family's amazing. They're some of the nicest people I've ever met in my life, so once I saw how he grew up and stuff like that, they confirmed the type of person that I already thought he was."
"My family loves him," Van den Berg added.
Before making the trip back to Chicago, Loving organized his first-ever youth football clinic in Hamilton, giving kids in kindergarten through sixth grade a chance to have fun competing together. An already proud moment was made better by Van den Berg driving three hours west from Atlanta to support him.
"He's like a hometown hero," Van den Berg said.
The pair then returned to Chicago two weeks before report day to readapt to their surroundings and ensure they were physically and mentally ready for the most crucial four weeks ahead.
While they experienced the typical ups and downs of a first NFL training camp, both rookies consistently stood out in padded practices and all three preseason games with their physicality, speed and most importantly, eagerness to learn from the coaches and veterans.
For Van den Berg, all of the traits that drew the Bears to him were perfectly displayed in the team's second preseason game against the Bengals. On one play, Van den Berg chased down the Cincinnati quarterback from the opposite side of the field and dove out of bounds in an attempt to tackle him before heading back to the bench and apologizing to his teammates for not making the play.
"He's a beast," coach Ben Johnson said of Van den Berg. "This guy, he's an incredible athlete, and he's still learning the game of football to a degree, and yet it's amazing what he brings to the table. He's been the same guy every single day, smile on his face. He loves football. He loves the process.
"I haven't seen it yet, but someone told me he was mic'd up in that first game, and he's coming to the sideline. He's talking to (DL) Grady (Jarrett) about the things that are happening on the field, and Grady's helping, giving him some tidbits here and there. It's a good thing to see right now."
Loving stood out the most in the Bears' final preseason game against the Titans, just 24 hours before roster cutdowns. He made the most of his opportunity, playing 50% of the defensive snaps, and in the third quarter on second-and-11, powered through the Titans interior offensive line to force a strip-sack. He recorded another tackle-for-loss and a pass defensed as well.
"He's one of those guys that, he's young, he's impressionable, he's trying to do everything the coaching staff asks, and you see him have success and results from it, and I think it's exciting," Johnson said of Loving. "He's a guy that comes around the building; he's got a smile on his face. I don't think I've ever seen him in a bad mood, yet when he hits the grass, he flips a switch and he's a darn good defensive player.
"We think he's got a chance to really grow and develop, and hopefully each week we continue to see him ascend to where he's going to be able to be a productive player for us."
The day after that final preseason game was a nerve-wracking one for both rookies. While they both felt they'd done everything they could throughout camp to earn a roster spot, they knew not everything was in their control. Yet, when it came time for the 5 p.m. team meeting Sunday, Aug. 30, neither had received the dreaded call.
"Just being able to look at each other and say, 'we did what we said we were gonna do,'" Loving said. "When we looked at each other in the meeting, that's when we could finally smile. We said we were gonna do it. We're gonna keep doing it and be men of our word."
Achieving the goal they set months earlier certainly brought pride and excitement, both for themselves and for each other; however, the pair knew that moment was just the beginning.
Now, there are new goals to strive toward. With the 2026 season on the horizon, the focus shifts to doing whatever it takes to help the Bears win each week while continuing to improve and endure the challenges that come with being an NFL rookie.
Yet, that won't change how Van den Berg and Loving operate. It's the competition and the adversity that drive them the most, and there's no chance either player will let the other waver. After all, both are vying for the Superman title.
"Our mentality is gonna stay the same," Van den Berg said. "Every day, just trying to be the best we possibly can. We're just gonna push each other to be the best. I feel like it's just staying true to who we are and everything else will take care of itself.
"And that's why they call me Superman —
"Superman and Batman," Loving interjects. "Jayden Loving is Superman and Jordan van den Berg is Batman."
"Jordan van den Berg is Superman," van den Berg contested.
"And that's the duo," Loving concluded.
