The Chicago Bears are about to start their work for the upcoming 2025 season. Head coach Ben Johnson will give players their first taste of what's to come. It begins with rookie minicamps on May 9th. All the expected names will be on hand. Their eight draft choices, led by tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden, are expected to be there. The same goes for their ten undrafted free agent signings. They will be joined by 23 undrafted rookies coming in for tryouts. Where it gets interesting is who fills out the remaining spots.
Normally, the Bears have always brought in a handful of notable veteran players for workouts. Free agents looking to get onto a roster. For the first time, that isn't the case. There are currently six names slated to attend practices who are not first-year players. Five of them were with the Bears as training camp attendees last year. The only one who wasn't, tight end Jordan Murray, bounced around several other teams but has never played in actual NFL games.
The Chicago Bears are embracing the youth movement.
New coaching staffs sometimes like to rely on veteran players to establish some familiarity and stability on an unknown roster. Johnson doesn't seem overly worried about that. He is interested in combing the desert for young guys, seeing if he can find some hidden gems before the real work begins in July. That isn't a bad plan. Youth is what drives the NFL. The more quality bodies you have on the younger side, the better your odds of sustained success. It's not like the veteran players will dry up. They will always be there. Might as well use the rookie minicamps to get a good, long look at the young guys. It isn't a bad strategy. While the odds of finding a gem might be low, they aren't zero.
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