The Chicago Bears are not going to have any excuses for Caleb Williams after this season.
They failed him with their play caller and the support system around him during his rookie season. That is not the case this year, as his playmakers have gone from a weakness to a potential strength. Courtney Cronin of ESPN chose this group as the biggest strength on the roster.
"The Bears added rookie tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III to an already stacked group of returning pass catchers that features Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. Quarterback Caleb Williams has connected with all five of these players, but arguably his strongest chemistry in camp was built with wideout Olamide Zaccheaus, who arrived on a one-year deal in March. Ben Johnson has plenty of players looking for touches on offense, and that's a good problem to have for the first-year coach"Courtney Cronin
How Williams' weapons around him can impact the 2025 season
The Bears' playmakers already appeared capable on paper heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. The thought was that DJ Moore had his worst year thanks to the offensive environment, and top-ten pick Rome Odunze can still be a success. Cole Kmet is a fine tight end, and they signed Olamide Zaccheus to get them a strong set of wide receivers.
If the Bears went into the season with that group, they would have been in a fine spot. However, Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles did not want to settle for fines when it comes to their potential franchise quarterback.
The Bears drafted Colton Loveland in the top ten. Usually, it is hard to project a tight end in his rookie season, but we saw that Ben Johnson is one of the few coordinators who will get the tight end the ball early.
Beyond that, having Kmet as an established tight end puts Loveland in positions where he can be schemed open and not relied upon as a full-time tight end. He is more of an offensive weapon with this look.
The team drafted Luther Burden in the second round, which pushed the receiver room over the top. Now, they not only have Zacchaeus as a high-floor third receiver, but they bring in a potential high upside player who can unseat him in the same role.
Even now, as a fourth receiver, he is one of the most dangerous fourths in the NFL, and when he gets on the field, it is almost a signal for defenses to watch for him.
The Bears can scheme him looks, get the defense to pay him respect, and then utilize their top weapons thanks to the pull of a role player. That is the type of stuff that makes this a dangerous group.
Read more: Bears continue to be overlooked in 2025 against rest of NFC (but they'll learn)
Earlier in the offseason, many would argue that the newly revamped offensive line is now the strength of the roster. However, the preseason has exposed left tackle a bit and pushed expectations down. With that in mind, the playmakers are certainly the strength.