The Chicago Bears added quality depth in the 2025 draft. Most of the Bears’ picks from this class won’t be Week 1 starters, but they will be able to earn a bigger role as the season progresses and eventually earn a starting job in future seasons.
Chicago did most of its heavy lifting in March, where they added three starting interior offensive linemen (Jonah Jackson, Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney) and two starting defensive linemen (Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett).
At least on paper, new head coach Ben Johnson is inheriting a much better roster than the one that went 5-12 after losing 10 of its last 11 games in 2024. There should be optimism that better coaching should push this team to be a playoff contender.
ESPN disrespected the Chicago Bears
ESPN doesn’t have the Bears coming close to being a postseason team in their post-draft power rankings. They list Chicago at No. 21, moving up just one spot from their rankings after free agency.
Courtney Cronin believes the offensive line is the most impressive position for the Bears in the offseason.
“During free agency, the Bears flipped their interior offensive line in one week by trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and spending big to land center Drew Dalman,” wrote Cronin. “They continued to address needs up front in the draft, using the 56th pick on offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo.
“Now Chicago will experiment with several options regarding who plays at both left and right tackle. The heavy investment is good news for QB Caleb Williams, who was sacked a league-high 68 times as a rookie.”
21 feels a bit low, if not downright disrespectful. ESPN has the Bears behind the Detroit Lions (No. 4), Green Bay Packers (No. 8), and Minnesota Vikings (No. 9). While all three NFC North rivals finished above Chicago last season, the talent level between the Packers and Vikings shouldn’t be that wide.
The Packers have serious issues with their defensive line and seconday, and the Vikings have an unknown with quarterback J.J. McCarthy. With the addition of Johnson and an improved offensive line, the Bears should be playing meaningful football in January.
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