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Despite picking a new franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams and surrounding him with weapons, the Bears couldn’t get it going in 2024. After another season of futility, the team cleaned house. Now, with Ben Johnson at the helm as Head Coach, and the team get to the next level. Let’s dive in.

Off-Season Changes

The Bears let veteran receiver Keenan Allen depart. The team also parted ways with veteran tight end Gerald Everett and guard Teven Jenkins. The Bears saw defensive end DeMarcus Walker depart, along with safety Jaylon Jones.

The Bears brought in a few veterans along the team to provide experience and depth, but the biggest additions came in the draft. That included new weapons in the passing game. The Bears spent a First-Round pick on tight end Colston Loveland and a Second-Round pick on receiver Luther Burden III. At Missouri, Burden caught 192 passes for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns in three seasons. Loveland caught 117 passes for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns in his three seasons. Both figure to have a big impact on the passing game.

Fantasy Impact

Williams wasn’t the best of the rookie quarterbacks, but he had a better year than many remember. He finished as QB16 despite all the upheaval on the coaching staff. I suspect he takes a step and pushes toward QB1 range this year, but I have him as a high-end QB2. In the backfield, it’s all about D’Andre Swift, who was RB19 in 2024. I like him as an RB2 again for fantasy.

The passing game is loaded. In addition to the rookies, the Bears have veteran receiver D.J. Moore and second-year man Rome Odunze, along with veteran tight end Cole Kmet. That’s too many mouths to feed for everyone to be valuable in fantasy. I think Moore ends up the top receiver again, in the WR2 range. The question is the breakdown in targets for Burden, Odunze, and Loveland. That’s something to watch closely. I think Burden ends up the No. 2 target, in the WR3 range, with Odunze in the WR4 range and Loveland a TE2. Kmet likely will be the one whose volume suffers the most.

The Bottom Line

With Johnson in and an offense full of weapons, there’s plenty of interest in the Bears. But can they put it all together? Will they just be a team that’s fun for fantasy, or a season-long frustration? I think they’ll be fun for fantasy and better on the field. I’m not predicting an 11-win season, but I could see them winning nine or 10 games and making it into the playoffs.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.