Head coach Ben Johnson’s arrival has brought plenty of buzz to the Chicago Bears. But now it appears that hype isn’t just situated in the Windy City.
Johnson and company have quite the mountain to climb to get the Bears back into contention. Chicago is coming off of a 5-12 season that included a 10-game losing streak. Quarterback Caleb Williams has been shrouded in controversy and must take a step forward for the franchise to be successful.
And yet, the Bears’ offseason moves have made them one of the most eye-catching teams in the league. In fact, Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report lists Chicago as the seventh-most interesting team entering the 2025 season.
“This recipe is similar in that you have a young No. 1 overall pick at quarterback trying to take a big step forward with a new offensive guru of a head coach,” Gagnon wrote.
“The Caleb Williams-Ben Johnson combination makes the Bears a big draw in a tough NFC North in 2025, especially considering that Chicago has entirely retooled its offensive line and already has young weapons (Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland) as well as tons of defensive talent,” he concluded.
Biggest Chicago Bears changes
The biggest change to the Bears comes as head coach. How Johnson develops Williams will be the biggest storyline throughout the season. Chicago is confident Johnson is the right man for the job, but he must prove he can make a seamless jump from offensive coordinator to head coach.
Helping him along the way are a trio of new offensive lineman in Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman. After allowing a league-high 68 sacks in 2024, Chicago was aggressive in ensuring that doesn’t happen again. Furthermore, Williams has a new pair of potent receivers to throw to in rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden.
The defense has been placed in veteran Dennis Allen’s hands. The Bears have plenty of strong pieces in the secondary and spent nearly $100 million on Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency. But coming off of a 2024 campaign in which Chicago ranked 27th in total defense, allowing 354.3 yards per game, Allen and company will have a difficult task in terms of getting the team back up to par.
Still, it’s easy to see why there is so much optimism around the team. If Johnson is the coach Chicago thinks he is and Williams lives up to his No. 1 pick ceiling, the Bears will undoubtedly look much stronger in 2025.
Fire right out of the gate
Perhaps Chicago would be higher on the list if their schedule wasn’t so difficult. But playing in the NFC North, Johnson will have a tough test ever season as head coach.
“This developing and reshaped team will get a baptism by fire with the Vikings, Lions and Cowboys right out of the gate in September,” Gagnon wrote. “How it handles that stretch could dictate how relevant the Bears are for the remainder of 2025.”
“Without skin in the game, you’d have to admit the season would be more enjoyable with a competitive Bears squad making the NFC North a gong show,” he concluded.
The Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings all made the playoffs in 2024. Despite changes across all three organization, none of them are trying to give up their postseason spot. Neither are the Philadelphia Eagles, who are looking to defend their Super Bowl championship. Alongside the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, the Bears will be facing a gauntlet in the NFC East as well.
Then there’s the NFC North, where Chicago should get a reprieve when they face the Cleveland Browns. But Lamar Jackson and Baltimore Ravens as well as Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals will both be tough matchups. And of course then there’s old friend Aaron Rodgers, who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bears’ schedule gives Johnson and Williams an immediate opportunity to prove their a winning duo. But Chicago could just as easily be burned by their 2025 opponent’s fire.
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