The Chicago Bears have tremendously improved their roster following a disastrous 2024 season. The roster has been improved on both sides of the ball in both the draft and free agency. However, the main goal of the offseason has been to build around Caleb Williams and the offense. Chicago has been considered a “dark horse” playoff team by many fans and analysts this offseason, largely due to the progress they have made.
The Bears have a talented roster, with some players being considered among the NFL’s best. In a new players ranking by CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco, two Bears starters have made the list of the top 100 players in the NFL for the upcoming 2025 season.
Chicago Bears’ top offseason acquisition misses the top 50
Bears general manager Ryan Poles made his biggest move of the offseason, trading for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney. The former Kansas City Chief has been considered one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL and has consistently performed well. Thuney came in at the 55 spot, just missing the top 50 players. The left guard moved up significantly from what Prisco had ranked him before the 2024 season. Thuney was ranked 86 last season.
Prisco said, “The Bears traded for Thuney and then signed him to an extension for a reason. He’s a reliable guard who was forced to play left tackle for the Chiefs last year and still held his own.”
Thuney is expected to fit in well under Ben Johnson’s offense, and is expected to be a massive leader for the offense. Thuney is also the second-highest guard to make this ranking, with Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom coming in at number 43.
Regarding the Bears’ defense, Chicago’s defensive captain also made Prisco’s top 100 players list.
Jaylon Johnson is the only member of the Bears defense to make the list
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has been a major piece of the defense and has been arguably one of the top defensive backs in the NFL. Johnson signed a four-year contract extension worth $76 million back in March.
Prisco states that Johnson “did not perform as well in 2024 as he did in 2023, but he remains a top cover player”.
Johnson has very high expectations for 2025, and it is expected that he will have a huge role in Dennis Allen’s defense. With the expertise of defensive coordinator Allen and defensive backs coach Al Harris, Johnson has a huge opportunity to improve his ball-hawk skills in 2025.
Many top Bears players were snubbed from this list
Some notable Bears players did not crack this top 100 list. That includes DJ Moore, Drew Dalman, and Kyler Gordon, to name a few. Many of these roster members will be playing with chips on their shoulders during the 2025 season. Moore had an underwhelming 2024 season and is expected to have a much better 2025 campaign with Ben Johnson calling plays.
Montez Sweat is another notable name that had a disappointing 2024 season, but can easily make next year’s list with an improvement in 2025.
With the coaching staff put in place and the overall talent this roster has, the Bears should be able to have more players a part of lists like these moving forward.
The team has a lot of pressure on them for the 2025 season, it’s only a matter of time till we get to see if this team can finally bring some winning football back to Chicago.
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