The Chicago Bears came out of nowhere to produce the 9th-best scoring offense in the NFL last season. It marked only the second time this side of the millennium that the team finished a season in the top 10 in scoring and total yards. The other was 2013. A big part of that success came from an assortment of talent that general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson had assembled.
You had Rome Odunze, who got off to a hot start before a foot injury slowed him down the stretch. D.J. Moore was Mr. Clutch most of the year, making season-defining catches in the biggest games. D’Andre Swift ran for the most yards in a season of his career. Cole Kmet had some big-time touchdowns. Yet the big story was their 2025 draft class. Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and Kyle Monangai all exploded for big rookie seasons, catapulting the Bears into the playoffs. One would think this would earn the team some respect in ESPN’s ranking of best offensive weapon groups. Not so much, according to Bill Barnwell.
15. Chicago Bears
2025 rank: 25 | 2024 rank: 6
Odunze’s injury kept him from making the second-year leap many expected. DJ Moore took a step backward and was traded to the Bills. Replacing Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus with Kalif Raymond and third-round pick Zavion Thomas is a likely step backward. And while D’Andre Swift had his best year as a pro, I lean more toward Johnson and the line driving that success than any sort of massive shift from the veteran RB.
This is a young group with real upside, but I also get the sense that it wouldn’t be quite as appealing or productive with a less compelling playcaller.
The Chicago Bears certainly have reasons to be offended.
Yes, Johnson is an outstanding play caller. His presence made life easier for everybody on that offense. Yet to say the Bears’ talent was downplayed because of this is ridiculous. Odunze had 473 yards and five touchdowns in his first seven games before the foot injury. Loveland had 597 yards and six touchdowns in his final 10 regular season games, then put up 137 against the Packers in the wild card round. Burden was 3rd in the NFL among all rookie wide receivers with 652 yards despite two or fewer targets in five of his first seven games.
Barnwell is putting a heavy emphasis on how important Moore and Zaccheaus were to the offense last season. Zaccheaus had 313 yards last season. That included five dropped passes. Moore had 682 yards. That equals 995 total between the two, meaning Kalif Raymond and Zavion Thomas would have to produce 497 yards each to equal that same production. Not exactly the highest bar to clear, and this is presuming Loveland and Burden don’t take considerable steps forward in their second seasons.
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Then you have those who rank ahead of them.
Arizona? New Orleans? The Jets? All of those teams finished way out of range from where the Chicago Bears did offensively. New York doesn’t have the same depth. The Saints have major injury problems. The Cardinals are basically a massive bet that Marvin Harrison Jr. isn’t a bust. It is ridiculous that the Bears, who actually produced on the field, are getting disrespected this much. As great as Johnson is as a coach, even he can’t put up big numbers without the talent to do so. Using him as an excuse is weak.
Not that the Bears care. Statements like this from ESPN are merely fuel on the fire. They revel in being doubted. It only gives them an incentive to score more points and win more games. That is the type of culture Johnson has built. Competitors everywhere. Just give them a reason to get amped up, and they’ll take care of the rest. All of these comments about the offense not being that good or the team is due for a regression are chum in the water.
