Bears seem close to matching Daniel Jeremiah's championship formula

Daniel Jeremiah recently posted a concept on X that had me thinking: Do the Chicago Bears have what it takes to be a Super Bowl championship-caliber team? 

Jeremiah believes that for a team to build a championship foundation, the team has to fill 12 spots. Without them, it is unlikely that they will be able to sustain success, let alone win a Super Bowl. 

The positions include:

Quarterback (1)
Offensive Playmaker (3)
Quality Offensive Linemen (3)
Pass Rushers (2)
Defensive Playmaker (3)

Now, he does not specify whether there can be overlap between the pass rushers and defensive playmakers. For example, Myles Garrett is easily a great pass rusher, but he’s also a defensive playmaker. For this exercise, I’m going to look at those two positions separately.

Matching the Chicago Bears with Daniel Jeremiah's formula

Quarterback (1)

The Chicago Bears seem to have finally found a legitimate quarterback – one whom they can count on as the face of the franchise for many years. No, I am not talking about Tyson Bagent. 

Caleb Williams still has flaws. He’s not a perfect specimen at this point in his career. However, going into Year 3 (Year 2 with Ben Johnson), I am hopeful to see him ascend even further than we saw in 2025. The late-game heroics are fun, but I’d like to see this team start dominating games rather than hoping to squeak out a win. This will all come down to Williams and his ability to be more consistent and more efficient.

If the way he ended the regular season is a sign of what’s to come, then Bears fans should feel very confident they have the quarterback needed to become a championship team. Over his last six games, Williams threw for at least two touchdowns and averaged over 275 yards per game. I have no doubt he will break the 4,000-yard passing mark this year. If he can maintain that pace over a 17-game season, he'd likely be voted as MVP.

Offensive Playmaker (3)

The Chicago Bears had a very explosive offense in 2025, but with DJ Moore moving on to Buffalo, does the team still have three offensive playmakers? The answer is yes, along with an honorable mention.

Colston Loveland | TE

When I look at the Chicago Bears' offensive roster, the playmaker that jumps out at me is easily sophomore tight end Colston Loveland. Loveland had a fabulous rookie campaign with 58 catches, 713 yards, and six touchdowns. That’s even more impressive when you factor in that he didn’t see more than four targets in a game until Week 6. We know how important a receiving threat at the TE position is to Ben Johnson’s offense, and it looks like the Bears found a future star in Loveland!

Luther Burden | WR

The Chicago Bears may have found the steal of the 2025 NFL Draft when they landed Luther Burden in the second round. I know they had their sights set on Trevyon Henderson, and that pick would have worked out well, but Burden may end up having the better career. Ben Johnson is already talking about him as a guy to buy stock in this season. 

Like Loveland, Burden is coming off a very productive rookie season despite taking some time to get acclimated to the NFL and Johnson’s offense. He also had to fight for targets behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. I am fully expecting him to take over the WR1 role this year, and it appears he’s already proving to be an elite weapon at OTAs.

Rome Odunze | WR

Rome Odunze was on pace for a breakout season last year until he got hurt. He was on pace for over 1,200 yards and 20+ touchdowns. The touchdowns were obviously not sustainable, but he had five in the first four weeks. He did experience some drop issues last year, but I expect him to resolve those. 

Fully healthy again, you are seeing the connection he and Caleb Williams already have in OTAs. I’m expecting him, Burden, and Loveland to finish the season strong. Any of the three can make explosive plays.  

Honorable Mention

I would also argue that the combination of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monongai makes a fourth playmaker.

Quality Offensive Linemen (3)

At the end of the 2025 season, naming three quality offensive linemen would be easy. I’d tell you Joe Thuney, Darnell Wright and Drew Dalman make this offensive line one of the best in the league. Unfortunately for the Chicago Bears, Drew Dalman retired unexpectedly at age 27. 

I already spilled the beans that I believe the Bears have at least two players who qualify as quality offensive linemen. Thuney is a future Hall of Famer, and Darnell Wright has been playing as an All-Pro right tackle. The question then becomes: do the Bears have a third offensive lineman considered a quality player? 

Left tackle is still a weak point, and I’m not anointing any of the guys competing to start while Ozzy Trapilo attempts rehab on the quality offensive lineman list.

That leaves Garrett Bradbury, Logan Jones, and Jonah Jackson. Out of the three, the closest to being a quality offensive lineman is Jackson. Bradbury is coming off a great season with the Patriots. However, you don’t trade a player for a fifth-round pick if you think he’s a quality lineman. Logan Jones is a rookie who has the potential to become a quality lineman, but it’s too soon to tell. This means, once again, that Jonah Jackson is the only other option. 

Jackson started the season with a few hiccups, but it didn’t take long for him to start consistently playing well. I would consider a guy who only allowed three sacks and had only five penalties all year a quality player. The Bears squeak by in this category.

Pass Rushers (2)

Unfortunately, I am not sure the Bears have even one true pass rusher. Montez Sweat finished the year with 10 sacks. That was good enough for 17th in the league. However, when looking at pressures, he ranked 31st. That’s not good enough.

Austin Booker has some potential to become a legit pass rusher, but until he proves himself for a full season, I am not willing to put him on this list either. I’d argue that combined, the team has one pass rusher - making the Bears one pass rusher short. Not great.

Defensive Playmaker (3)

We will stay on the defensive side of the ball. Does the defense have three or more contributors who can be considered playmakers? This is not as easy as finding playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.

Going into the 2025 season, I’d say Jaylon Johnson was a defensive playmaker. Now, I’m not so sure. I’ll give the Chicago Bears credit for him in hopes that he returns to his previous form before his groin injury. Are there two others?

Coby Bryant | S

Newcomer Coby Bryant is for sure a playmaker. Will he maintain his form within a new defensive system now that he’s no longer with the Seahawks? My assumption is yes. 

Bryant was not as good a corner in the NFL as he had been a safety. In his first two seasons, Bryant was not a playmaker. However, he has become one over the last two seasons after he shifted to a hybrid safety role. During those two seasons, he finished with seven interceptions, averaged just shy of 70 tackles, and only gave up three total touchdowns. He’s a playmaker.

Unfortunately, those are the only two players I’m willing to give that status to. Devin Bush had a fantastic 2025 season, but I will need to see that continue this year before I consider him one. Kyler Gordon can’t stay healthy enough to be seen as a playmaker. Therefore, I will say the Bears potentially have three or more playmakers, but only two for certain.

Read more: Ben Johnson subtly indicated who is winning Bears' position battle at OTAs

Daniel Jeremiah was right. This was a fun exercise. It seems to me that the Chicago Bears are very close to being a consistent Super Bowl contender. It is why we saw them succeed so much in 2025. What do you think? Do you agree with my assessment?

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