Windy City Gridiron
Optimism is in the air as the countdown to the 2025 NFL regular season winds down. Plenty of eyes will be on this young Chicago Bears team, but if they plan to take the next step, these five players must lead the way.
It’s been four years since general manager Ryan Poles took over the franchise and ripped the band-aid off of one of the more expensive and older rosters in the league. Since that point, his primary focus has been on adding young talent through the draft. Despite not having a first-round pick in 2022, Poles has made four first-round selections over the past three years. All of which were in the Top 10.
Following a failed three-year stint with former head coach Matt Eberflus, former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is taking over a roster that is ripe with young talent. Even so, it’s hard to argue that any of their top picks have truly reached their potential. If the Chicago Bears hope to be considered a Super Bowl contender, the development of those early-round picks is key.
We’ll take a deeper dive into five of the team’s top picks over the last few years that need to take the next step. Most of these players are first-round selections, but we’ll also focus on a second-round pick that could take a big step in Year 3.
There’s not a single more important player on the Bears roster than their second-year starting quarterback. In 2024, Chicago chose to trade Justin Fields and zero in on Williams early in the draft process. From a talent standpoint, there’s plenty that meets the eye that leads many to believe he’s one of the league’s most talented quarterbacks. Mentally is where he needs to experience the most progress.
Williams’ rookie year was a rollercoaster, but the same could be said for the entire organization. Despite all the obvious signs pointing to Eberflus not being the guy to lead this franchise on the field, the Bears allowed him to hire another offensive coordinator. After 2024, it was clear that the entire experiment was a failure. Shane Waldron was fired just after Halloween, and Eberflus followed three weeks later. That left Williams in a particularly tough spot, especially with the team spiraling to a 10-game losing streak.
Although the former USC product’s interception totals were impressive, his lack of general accuracy was a sizable concern. The same could be said for his league-high 68 sacks taken. Despite the team’s mistakes in 2024, they’ve done everything they can to surround their second-year quarterback with as much talent as possible. That includes the coaching staff, headlined by Johnson, but not leaving out names like Declan Doyle and J.T. Barrett. For a second-straight offseason, the team’s front office has added high-value resources to the offense. That started with completely remaking the interior of the offensive line, and finished out by adding Colston Loveland at No. 10 overall, and...
