Two Bears prove how elite they are in rankings of top 100 players in NFL

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The Chicago Bears have a pretty solid roster right now, but there are not too many players highly regarded as elite at their position. This was highlighted in CBS Sports' top 100 players list, which featured just two Bears players. 

Joe Thuney, 55, up from 86 

The highest-rated Bears player on the ranking list did not even play for the Bears in 2024. Joe Thuney was one of the big moves of the offseason for the team, and Prisco sees him immediately slotting in as the Bears' best player. 

Thuney had to move to left tackle last year, and he is clearly better at guard, but Prisco praised him for making the switch and said that his ability to slide out on the fly only improved his standing.

Jaylon Johnson 71, down from 34

Johnson was always going to have a hard time building off of an All-Pro caliber season that deemed him as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He maintained well, although his interceptions dropped from four to two.

Still, he was no longer considered elite by most NFL evaluators, and the perception is that he had an outlier contract season and his play in 2025 is more in line with who he is as a player, which is a lower-end number one cornerback. 

Read more: Bears have four players who could be trade collateral during the 2025 season

D.J. Moore did not make the list, with Davante Adams and Ladd McConkey being the lowest-ranked receivers. You could probably argue Moore is as good as both, with Adams being a bit older and McConkey still not quite there yet. Mike Evans was also higher, and at his age, you could make the case for Moore being more valuable in NFL circles. 

Montez Sweat is probably the only other player with a case to make, but Josh Hines-Allen and Will Anderson were some of his lowest-ranked edge rushers. Sweat cannot surpass either, but maybe the case here is that not enough edge rushers made the list overall.