The Chicago Bears are enjoying the long weekend before they begin preparations in earnest for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. Hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football is a tough way to kick off the season, but seeing how their new head coach likes to operate, he wouldn't have it any other way.
The Bears did a good job reshaping their organization in the offseason -- starting with the hiring of Ben Johnson. The coaching staff that Johnson has assembled (Antwaan Randle-El, Dennis Allen, Al Harris, Dan Roushar, Eric Bieniemy, and many others) looks primed to shape this roster into an exciting team.
Training camp and the preseason gave us a lot to chew on heading into Week 1. What did we learn, and what should we expect now in 2025? Let's dive in.
Thoughts from Preseason
Caleb Williams had a lot of work to do
It's no secret that Johnson was excited to coach Caleb Williams. Objectively, he's a more talented quarterback than Jared Goff, Ryan Tannehill, and any other QB that Johnson has ever worked with. But it was clear that - coming off 2024 - Caleb would have to unlearn and relearn a lot about playing the position.
I love the approach to load up his plate to see what he can handle. Just because a QB has strengths, doesn't mean they shouldn't work to improve. When it comes to game planning and trying to win, I have full faith that Johnson will put Williams in the best possible position to succeed. But while practice time is available, make use of it. It seems evident that they did that.
How much of it will translate? That's TBD. The Bears clearly struggled with some of the presnap and timing aspects of the offense. Penalties can and will kill this team if they don't clean it up. The hope is they can before Brian Flores throws the kitchen sink at the young QB and new-look offensive line in prime time.
These pass catchers are sick
DJ Moore. Rome Odunze. Olamide Zaccheaus. Luther Burden. Colston Loveland. Cole Kmet. That's a HEALTHY stable of pass catchers for Williams to throw to. And the best part is, someone like Loveland gives them the opportunity to put two TEs on the field even in 11 personnel. Do you know how much of a flex that is?
I also trust that Johnson will put these guys in the best position to succeed. No more misfits (i.e. Keenan Allen running streaks). Use them in situations that maximizes their ability to help. The talent is obvious.
The offensive line is deep, if not complete
It's so nice to not have to worry about 4 out of 5 positions on the OL this time around. There are questions about the left tackle, which I get. I am a fan of Braxton Jones -- as in, he is more than an adequate answer when healthy. The issue is, he's not fully healthy. And yet, he's seemingly defaulted as the LT for Week 1.
Still, Johnson can scheme around this until he gets his legs back under him (literally). Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson make up a very good interior OL (which Caleb really needed) and Darnell Wright is a very good (almost awesome) RT. They have more than enough to work with, health permitting.
Part of this is on Caleb. If he plays on time -- which he needs to prove he can do -- they can make a lot of noise on offense.
Meanwhile, depth-wise, I like Luke Newman and Ryan Bates in versatile IOL roles. Same with Ozzy Trapilo as the swing tackle. And having Kiran Amegadjie learning to play guard (in addition to tackle) is a luxury. If one of the starters gets hurt, this team isn't fully fucked.
The pass rush is...concerning
I like Montez Sweat. I like Austin Booker. And I like Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett. But I just don't see enough from a pass rush perspective to feel comfortable that they can affect the quarterback.
Dayo Odeyingbo was an understandable bet to make (size, versatility, second contract guy with 8 sacks last year). But he's been fairly quiet overall, and got handled quite easily by rookie Josh Simmons (who is AWESOME) in Kansas City last Friday night. Shemar Turner is recovering from injury and appears to be behind from a depth perspective. And Dominique Robinson making the team again was not something I frankly had on my bingo card.
Couple that with Micah Parsons heading to the Green Bay Packers, and Bears fans' angst is understandable. That was a prime chance to bring in an elite edge player. But one can argue that they're not ready.
Still, I worry that this pass rush will render what really is a GOOD secondary fairly helpless.
Tyson Bagent is one of the NFL's best stories
Undrafted out of Shepard and he lands a two-year extension worth $10M BEFORE his UNDRAFTED rookie contract is even up. That's unheard of. Good for Tyson Bagent, man. A truly stand-up guy and excellent backup quarterback who I have no doubt will get an opportunity to start in the NFL some day.
Especially now that he gets to learn from Ben Johnson for three total seasons... talk about the best-paying internship in existence.
So, What Do We Predict In 2025?
My way too early predictions:
vs. MIN - Loss
@ DET - Win
vs. DAL - Win
@ LV - Win
@ WAS - Win
vs. NO - Win
@ BAL - Loss
@ CIN - Win
vs. NYG - Win
@ MIN - Loss
vs. PIT - Loss
@ PHI - Loss
@ GB - Loss
vs. CLE - Win
vs. GB - Win
@ SF - Loss
vs. GB - Win
Prediction: 10-7 (Wild Card entry)
Optimistic? Maybe. But Ben Johnson gives this team a higher floor than they've ever had. Coaching matters. And the Bears (on paper) have excellent coaching. If the QB elevates? Look out, the sky is the limit.
I can't wait. Welcome back, NFL.
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