Chicago Bears 2025 Season Preview
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have undergone plenty of change during the offseason. Making former Lions’ OC Ben Johnson the Head Coach may be the best hire of the year. Johnson made former Denver Broncos’ Tight Ends’ Coach Declan Doyle his offensive coordinator. Despite the role, Johnson will be calling plays. He also brought in former Saints’ HC Dennis Allen the defensive coordinator. With all the change, the variance in possible outcomes for the Bears’ 2025 season is quite large. It will be critical that the young players, especially QB Caleb Williams, take a step forward in their development under Ben Johnson.
Trades: Ryan Poles was active in both free agency and on the trade block during the offseason. He went out to acquire IOL Jonah Jackson from the Rams in exchange for a 2025 sixth round pick. After the trade, Poles also extended Jackson through 2027. Additionally, they made a big splash by acquiring IOL Joe Thuney from the Chiefs in exchange for a 2026 4th round pick. Thuney then agreed to a two-year extension with the Bears.
Departures: The Bears decided to let a select few role players walk in free agency, but nobody who had an instrumental role in the 2024 season. WR Keenan Allen, WR Deandre Carter, TE Mercedes Lewis, TE Gerald Everett, IOL Teven Jenkins, IOL Matt Pryor, C Coleman Shelton, EDGE Jacob Martin, EDGE Darrell Taylor, and DL Byron Cowart all left in the offseason.
Additions: Poles had image to redefine who the Bears are and how they play under Ben Johnson. He signed C Drew Dalman, EDGE Dayo Odeyingbo, and DT Grady Jarrett to multi-year deals. WR Devin Duvernay, WR Olamide Zacchaeus, TE Durham Smythe, and CB Nick McCloud all signed one-year deals.
Draft Selections: With their first two picks in the 2025 draft, they built up the brand that Ben Johnson has so successfully established. TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden are players who can closely replicate the style of offense Johnson ran in Detroit. DT Shemar Turner, CB Zah Frazier, and OT Ozzy Trapilo are all players who I can see making a stamp on the team for at least the entirety of their rookie contracts.
The Chicago Bears seem to have the highest variance of possible outcomes in the league for the 2025 season. They could very easily take that step to be a top 4 team in the conference, but they could also struggle with all the change.
Season Predictions: The Bears kick the season off at home on Monday Night Football against the Vikings before hitting the road to play the Lions, then come back home to host the Cowboys, and hit the road to end the month against the Raiders. The Bears will go 2-2 to start the season.
Chicago has a Week 5 bye and comes out of the bye to play the Commanders in Washington DC on Monday Night Football, host the Saints, and play the Ravens in Baltimore to conclude October. The Bears go 1-2 this month.
They start November on the road against the Bengals, host the Giants, go up to Minnesota to play the Vikings, host the Steelers, and play in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Black Friday. The Bears go 2-3 in this stretch.
They start December in Green Bay against the Packers, host the Browns and Packers in weeks 15 and 16, play the 49ers in San Francisco, and finish the season at home against the Lions. The Bears will go 2-3 in this stretch.
Final Thoughts: I have the Chicago Bears going 7-10 in 2025. While that may not be the record Bears’ fans are hoping for, it is a decent starting point for Ben Johnson. A year of development in the system for the young guys and another good draft could quickly turn this team into playoff caliber for the 2026 season.
