The Chicago Bears addressed their glaring weaknesses in the trenches this offseason, but to some outsiders, that might not be enough to make the playoffs in 2025.
The Bears entered the offseason needing a new head coach, three interior offensive linemen, and pass-rushing help after going 5-12 in 2024. Chicago hired the top coaching candidate Ben Johnson. They traded for offensive guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. They added defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, and center Drew Dalman in free agency.
Those moves should make the Bears a playoff team. The only reason right now to think Chicago wouldn’t play meaningful football in January 2026 is if they have bad injury luck or Johnson is incapable of developing Caleb Williams.
NFL.com writer Eric Edholm gives the Chicago Bears a poor ranking
Lead draft writer Eric Edholm of NFL.com doesn’t think the Bears did enough to make the postseason in his latest power rankings. Edholm put seven NFC teams ahead of Chicago: Eagles, Lions, Commanders, Vikings, Packers, Buccaneers, and Rams.
Edholm ranks the Bears at No. 16 and mocked the team for being “offseason kings” in 2025. He suggested general manager Ryan Poles overpaid players this offseason because he’s desperate to win on Williams’ rookie contract.
“The Bears are offseason kings for three years running, but this year does feel a little different,” Edholm wrote. “Their additions have mostly been of the blue-collar variety, filling out the ranks on both lines of scrimmage. Did they maybe overspend on some? I think so. But what choice did the Bears have? Even coming off a 5-12 season that included 10 straight losses, their time to win is now, with Caleb Williams still playing on his affordable rookie deal.
“There’s a reasonable line of thinking that goes something like this: Ben Johnson will make Williams better, which in turn will make an overburdened defense better, which logically should make the entire operation better. I tend to buy into that idea, even if we really have no idea how good Johnson is as a head coach. If he’s as successful as he was as a coordinator, this thing might actually work.”
The Bears are going to have to prove it
Essentially, the national media thinks the Bears need to prove it this season before giving them credit.
The Bears were 4-2 before their bye in 2024. They looked like a playoff team before losing to the Washington Commanders via a Hail Mary pass as time expired in Week 8.
The Bears’ roster in 2024 was good enough to be a wild card team, so one understands why there will be doubters asking for Chicago to prove it this year. But coaching tanked the Bears last season. With an upgraded roster, a wild card appearance should be this team’s floor.
Fortunately, the national media won’t be putting too much pressure on Johnson in his first offseason.
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3 Comments
Ed you’re an idiot.
The fact that we had to “win the offseason three years running to get a chance to become relevant is just evidence of how badly Pace and Nagy screwed up the team!
I mean, it’s honestly a pretty fair ranking. The bears have got a lot of competition in both their division and conference. The off-season upgrades make them better, but it doesn’t make them automatic shoo-ins for the playoffs.