The Chicago Bears’ offense accomplished big things last season. Despite it being the first year under new head coach Ben Johnson, the team put together their first top ten offense in 12 years, finishing 6th in yards and 9th in points. Most people look to the running game that finished 3rd in the NFL behind the efforts of running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. Not enough noticed how quietly productive the passing game was as well, finishing 10th in the league in yards with Caleb Williams throwing for 3,941.
It has many wondering what could happen going into 2026. Don’t forget that much of that success last season came from the arrival of two rookies, tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden. Both will be more experienced this year, which usually means they’ll also be more dangerous. Rome Odunze is healthy after a foot injury derailed much of last season for him. How high should expectations be for this group? Robert Mays of The Athletic Football Show took things to a level no one has seen in 18 years, with three players cracking 1,000 yards at the same time.
“I think there’s a world where both of them (Odunze and Burden) do, but it’s like, both of them have like 1,200 yards and Colston Loveland has 1,000 and we’re cooking with gas … every single member of the Bears offense is going to break out this year.”
The Chicago Bears would join the rarest of company.
To date, there have been only five teams in all of NFL history that have produced three players crossing the 1,000-yard boundary together in the same season. Unsurprisingly, each of them involved at least one Hall of Fame player and a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. They all also featured offensive play callers known for their aggressiveness.
| Year | Team | Player | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | San Diego Chargers | John Jefferson Kellen Winslow Charlie Joiner | 82 89 71 | 1,340 1,290 1,132 | 13 9 4 |
| 1989 | Washington Redskins | Gary Clark Art Monk Ricky Sanders | 79 86 80 | 1,229 1,196 1,138 | 9 8 4 |
| 1995 | Atlanta Falcons | Eric Metcalf Terance Mathis Bert Emanuel | 104 78 74 | 1,189 1,039 1,039 | 8 9 5 |
| 2004 | Indianapolis Colts | Reggie Wayne Marvin Harrison Brandon Stokley | 77 86 68 | 1,210 1,113 1,077 | 12 15 10 |
| 2008 | Arizona Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald Anquan Boldin Steve Breaston | 96 89 77 | 1,431 1,038 1,006 | 12 11 3 |
Lucky for the Bears, they have at least two of those ingredients. Williams is definitely a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback, and Coach Johnson has even coined the phrase “hunting explosives.” We know he’s aggressive in every way. That leaves the receiving options. Loveland, Odunze, and Burden all have talent. Two were 1st round picks in their respective drafts, and the other probably should’ve been one.
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Besides, the Bears have come close to this feat before. In 2013, both Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery passed the 1,000-yard mark. Unfortunately, tight end Martellus Bennett finished around 241 yards short of joining them.
The key challenge for the Bears will be distribution.
To accomplish this feat, the team would have to channel a large portion of targets to those three players. That didn’t really happen last season. No player in the receiving corps had more than 90 targets. Chicago had seven players with at least 48 for the season. Spreading the ball around was a central focus for Williams and Johnson. They would have to allocate a larger portion to that trio to have any hope of reaching that milestone. We’re talking at least 100 targets each.
Last season, Burden would’ve had 1,086 yards with 100 targets. Loveland would’ve had 869. Odunze is the toughest one. He would’ve had 734. Part of that is his ongoing struggles with consistently catching the ball. He hasn’t produced a catch percentage above 54% yet in his career. If the Bears want a realistic shot at this record, he will have to get that over 60% at least to have any realistic shot. It’s doable. Remember, D.J. Moore isn’t in the picture anymore. His targets will be allocated to others, including those three.
If everybody stays healthy, this idea for the Chicago Bears is far from crazy.
