The ESSENTIAL Football Show 2025 Cap Space: $4.0 million
2026 Cap Space: $38.5 million
2027 Cap Space: $105.3 million
2026 Draft Picks: Own Picks, Rounds 1-3, 5-7, plus 7th Rd Comp, LAR 4th Rd
For the second consecutive offseason, the Chicago Bears added the most hyped offensive addition on the market.
Maybe that’s hyperbole, but if so, it’s not much of a stretch. Caleb Williams was billed as the best quarterback prospect coming out in living memory. Ben Johnson has been at the top of the coaching search for two straight off-seasons, and by all accounts, had multiple options in this cycle after another outstanding year heading up Detroit’s offense.
There’s potential here, particularly after the Bears spent the bulk of their resources on upgrading the offense around Williams, but there’s also a gap between what we saw last year and what needs to happen this year if Chicago is going to compete in the NFC North. Similar to the Washington Commanders, the Bears loaded up around their young, highly-touted signal caller; the difference is that Jayden Daniels has a lot more proof of concept.
Quarterback
Starter: Caleb Williams
Backups: Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
Running Back
Starters: D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson
Backups: Kyle Monangai (7th Rd), Travis Homer
Wide Receiver
Starters: DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden (2nd Rd)
Backups: Olamide Zaccheaus, Devin Duvernay, Tyler Scott
Tight End
Starters: Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet
Backups: Durham Smythe
Offensive Line
Starters: Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright
Backups: Ozzy Trapilo (2nd Rd), Luke Newman (6th Rd), Doug Kramer, Ryan Bates, Kiran Amegadjie (3rd Rd)
Offense Breakdown
If you pull the highlights, it’s not difficult to understand why Caleb Williams was drafted first overall. The USC product has all of the physical talent needed to excel in the NFL; in terms of pure arm talent, he throws some of the better balls in the league when everything lines up, and while he’s not going to push for 1,000 yards rushing, he’s got more than enough athleticism to take grass when it presents itself.
The issue is with the “when everything lines up” note; during his rookie season, Williams struggled to operate within the timing and structure of his offense, and while it’s fair to put some share of the blame on Shane Waldron, it’s also worth noting that some draft analysts noted that as the big area of concern in Williams’s game coming out of college.
Fortunately, Ben Johnson’s offense is an ideal fix for that, and the aggressive moves the Bears made to upgrade the interior offensive line should allow them to play the sort of run-heavy, play-action heavy style that allowed the Lions to thrive.
The flip side of that argument is that even if the interior of Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson works out - and given Thuney and Jackson’s respective ages and injury histories, that’s no guarantee - this Bears offensive line is nowhere near as good as Detroit’s. Dalman got a lot of money because he hit free agency, but he’s not close to Frank Ragnow in terms of on-field ability, and while Chicago’s guards are more established products, Detroit has a massive talent advantage at offensive tackle, where Chicago’s pairing of Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright isn’t close to Detroit’s tandem of Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell.
It will be interesting to see how the Bears sort out their collection of weapons; with D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, and Luther Burden (2nd Rd pick) at receiver, Colston Loveland (1st Rd pick) and Cole Kmet at tight end, and D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson at running back, the Bears are well-stocked across the board. I’d expect Moore to bounce back from a frustrating season given his track record, but Odunze will be a more interesting watch; the 9th pick from the 2024 draft, who posted 54 catches for 734 yards and 3 TDs, didn’t do anything to make me think he can’t play, but he also didn’t make the most of the opportunities presented to him. I don’t think he plays nearly as big as his 6’3, 215 listing suggests, his movement skills don’t jump off the screen like a Malik Nabers or Brian Thomas, and he also had some frustrating drops.
That’s not the end of the world - Davante Adams sticks out as a prominent name who overcame some early-career frustrations to become a premier receiver without possessing overwhelming physical traits - but if the Bears are going to push for a playoff spot this year, the offense is going to need to drive the train, and a step forward from Odunze would go a long way in making that happen.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Gervon Dexter, Grady Jarrett
Backups: Shemar Turner (2nd Rd), Andrew Billings, Zacch Pickens, Chris Williams
Edge
Starters: Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo
Backups: Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy, Dominique Robinson
Linebackers
Starters: Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards
Backups: Ruben Hyppolite (4th Rd), Amen Ogbongbemiga
Safety
Starters: Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard
Backups: Jonathan Owens, Elijah Hicks, Tarvarius Moore
Slot
Starter: Kyler Gordon
Backups: Josh Blackwell
Outside CB
Starters: Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson
Backups: Zah Frazier (5th Rd), Terell Smith, Nick McCloud
Defense Breakdown
There’s only so many resources to go around, but the Bears have been pretty flush due to the Bryce Young trade, and even with all of their additions on offense, the Bears were able to add two potential contributors in free agents Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo, and to use a relatively high pick on defensive tackle Shemar Turner in the second round.
The X-Factor is what things will look like with new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen taking over for departed head coach/defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. The two coordinators overlap in the signature aspect of Allen’s most recent defenses - BIG defensive ends to play in a four-down front - though in retrospect, this didn’t matter much outside of Montez Sweat, as Chicago signed Dayo Odeyingbo to play the opposite starting end spot.
That said, Allen has the pieces to hit the ground running, though I do question whether there are any elite difference-makers on this defense. Corners Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are plus players in the back end, but I wouldn’t call them elite players, and the linebacker tandem of Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards is just ok despite the price tag on the tandem.
There’s also the question of the outside cornerback spot opposite Jaylon Johnson, where Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith split time due to up-and-down play. If one of them emerges as a consistently solid starter, it would go a long way in boosting the defensive backfield.
Overall Outlook
It’s difficult to get as excited about this team after last year’s disappointment, but if this group is healthy, and the key pieces play to their potential, I wouldn’t be remotely surprised to see this group make the playoffs and win a game. On the flip side, I can also see a world where injuries plague some of the key veteran additions on the offensive and defensive lines, Caleb doesn’t take enough of a step forward, and the run game is too pale a version of what Johnson had in Detroit for any of this to work out.