CHICAGO BEARS

OFF SEASON CHANGES

A largely unchanged off-season for the Bears who realize they’ve got something good going here with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. They did trade away veteran receiver DJ Moore but they have some nice depth in that area. Investing further in the pieces around a quarterback who just made a real leap makes sense, and Johnson's development track record is proven. Chicago was 29th in yards allowed per play and 29th in pressure rate defensively last year, real problems this offseason's draft-heavy, offense-first approach may not have fully addressed heading into a tougher schedule.

QUATERBACKS

Caleb Williams took a real step forward in year one under Ben Johnson, cutting his pressure-to-sack rate from 27% to 10% while learning to operate a run-heavy attack that ranked top-two in rushing success rate. Williams surged from 32nd in EPA per play as a rookie to 15th last season among qualified quarterbacks, with his sack rate improving from 35th to fourth over that same span. If everything clicks this season, he’s a genuine chance to be an MVP candidate. His current passing line is set for 3575.5 yards – a mark he easily cleared last year. I’d expect him to clear that comfortably once again if healthy.

RUNNING BACKS

Ben Johnson is known to get the best out of his running backs and he certainly did that last year, with the Bears ranked third in rushing yards per game and second in rushing success rate. D’Andre Swift had a really nice season, with 1087 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns to go with nearly 299 receiving yards. Kyle Monangai also had 783 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns for the season, forming a nice one-two punch with Swift. Expect more of the same this season and the lanes might even open up more for them if Caleb Williams continues his strong QB play. Chicago led the league in 13-personnel usage which shows they’re very happy to run the ball. Expect Swift to remain the lead back but Monangai will get plenty of touches and they’ll likely look to utilize the hot hand at times.

RECEIVERS

DJ Moore is gone and that leaves three main targets: Rome Odunze, Luther Burden and Colston Loveland. Rome Odunze battled a nagging foot injury and posted one of the league's lowest catchable-target rates as a sophomore, while Luther Burden III is the coaching staff's forecasted breakout piece; Johnson has publicly said the plan is to get Burden the ball as often as possible this season. Burden has suffered a groin injury during training camp but is expected to be fine for Week 1 at this stage. Colston Loveland gives Williams a legitimate receiving tight end, exploding for 12 catches and 193 yards across two playoff games as a rookie. This receiver corps continues developing into year two together under continuity at both quarterback and play-caller, a genuine rarity for Williams after a chaotic rookie season, and the internal expectation is that touches simply shift toward Burden and Loveland as both grow more comfortable within Johnson's larger offensive framework this fall.

DEFENCE

Chicago's defense forced a league-leading 33 turnovers last season, but still ranked 29th in yards allowed per play and 29th in pressure rate — a genuinely unsustainable formula relying on takeaways rather than fundamental stops. The unit also lost linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and multiple defensive backs in free agency. First-round rookie safety Dillon Thieneman should start immediately, but this group needs to actually get stops now.