Have the Bears done enough to help Williams?
The Chicago Bears’ priority for last offseason was to give as much help as possible to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the number one pick in the draft. Poles added Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen and drafted Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick.
The Allen deal cost the Bears a fourth-round pick but it did not work out. He was one-and-done with Chicago. To counter that this offseason, Poles drafted Luther Burden in the second round. Burden is on a lot of analysts’ “Player to watch” lists and he could be a big pickup.
Poles also signed Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay. Zaccheaus had a good season last year, catching 70 percent of his targets. Duvernay will likely be the starting returner.
The Bears also have D.J. Moore. He was the man in his first season in Chicago with Justin Field throwing him the ball. Last season was a little bit of a drop off with Williams. There were times when it was obvious that the duo were not on the same page. However, with a season together under their belts and another offseason and training camp of work, they should work better together in 2025.
There was an improvement with the tight ends unit as well. Colston was the Bears’ first round pick. He and Cole Kmet will provide Williams big, athletic targets. They are dependable pass catchers as well. Johnson loves to use a two tight end set and he will have two good ones here.
Watch how Colston Loveland runs after the catch, it looks like hes just finished playing 8-hours of video games.
Hunkered down to max, protecting the ball and looking for contact.
Zero fumbles in 3 seasons with Michigan. pic.twitter.com/lbZmo9ol5m
— Max Markham (@MaxMarkhamNFL) June 17, 2025
The Bears also have Durham Smythe, who is familiar with Johnson’s system. Smythe won’t be asked to be a big part of the offense. However, his knowledge of the system will be a great help to the other players trying to learn it. Furthermore, he is durable and can step in to help the offensive line blocking.
At running back the Chicago Bears still have D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson as the two main backs. Last season, Swift had his ups and downs and Johnson dealt with a concussion. Swifts problems could be explained by the coaching staff misusing him. He is an outside runner. He tries to get to the edges and outrun the defense. The Bears had him run up the middle too much. That should change in 2025.
If Johnson could stay healthy he should be the between the tackles runner. He runs hard and has the power to get the short yards and move the chains.
In addition to those two, the Chicago Bears also have Kyle Monangai, a seventh round pick. Despite going so late, he has generated some buzz. The coaches are looking forward to seeing what he could do when the pads are on.
The Chicago Bears also have Ian Wheeler, the darling of the Hard Knocks audience last preseason before an ACL injury derailed his season before it began. He will get another shot to make the team. There is also an intriguing player, Deion Hankins.
Hankins was an undrafted rookie signing. He could help Johnson with the bruising runs. He is a huge back at 5-foot-11, 227 pounds. He will get a lot of carries so the coaches can see how he can punish defenders. He can be valuable in case Johnson has to deal with another concussion (he has already had two in his two season).
This should be what Williams needs to have a successful season. While many felt he did not have the season they expected, he still had a very good season. He completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns to go with just 6 interceptions. In fact, he broke the all-time rookie record for consecutive passes thrown without an interception. He also added 489 rushing yards.
Williams showed that when he has time he could just destroy opposing defenses. He made some beautiful throws. The problem was that he was often trying to run for his life too many times. Now he has a solid offensive line and with that comes a better running game. That will take pressure off of him, creating some space downfield.
Poles looks like he finished the job he started last offseason. He put a very good team around Williams. Now it is time for the players to prove him right and time for Williams to shine and show that he is worthy of being the first overall pick.
Caleb Williams sets major goals for 2025 season
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