The Chicago Bears seem to have one of the best rosters they've fielded in quite some time. What is a huge key to success in the 2025 season?
It's an understatement to say that the Bears were active this offseason. The big move was being able to pry Ben Johnson away from the Detroit Lions, as he now joins forces with Caleb Williams on offense as the team's next head coach. After years of neglecting to adapt to the modern-day NFL offense, Chicago seems to have done that this offseason.
But the work wasn't close to being done on that side of the ball, as they totally remade their interior offensive line with Jonah Jackson, Drew Dalman, ands Joe Thuney, and also found a way to further upgrade their weaponry on offense with Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III.
On paper, this offense is top-10, and second-year QB Caleb Williams does seem to have everything needed to make that year two leap, and most would agree that Williams and the offense is the primary key to success this offseason, but a bigger key to success might actually be on the other side of the ball...
The key to success in 2025 might just be the Bears' defense
The Bears actually made quite a few moves on the defensive side of the ball. Coming over in free agency for some DL help were Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo, and the team also brought in Dennis Allen to coordinate the defense. In 2024, Chicago's defense finished 13th in points allowed, which isn't terrible.
However, when you think about it, the offense may actually be more secure than the defense. With how good of an offensive mind Ben Johnson is, along with the wealth of weapons they have on that side of the ball, and the improved offensive line, it'd actually be a massive shock if the Bears weren't a top-10 unit in 2025.
This could put a ton of pressure on the defense with Allen running the show. Another point to make here is that a good defense does directly help the offense - ideally, the Bears' D is going to put their offense in advantageous spots with short fields and simply getting opposing offenses off the field quickly.
Read more: PFF vindicates Ryan Poles' offseason trade for Joe Thuney with latest rankings
When you look at recent NFL history, many quarterbacks who make a year two jump also have the luxury of a top defense. Both sides of the ball work together to put the other in good spots. If you ask me, the Bears offense is in a more secure spot for the 2025 NFL Season, so all eyes may end up being on the defense as the primary driver of success.