Ben Johnson wanted to coach the Chicago Bears. He highlighted the quarterback, Caleb Williams, and the leadership above him.
But Johnson had his options. He had to do his due diligence researching the Bears’ roster. He faced them twice a year for five seasons, so he had some knowledge.
The prevailing thought last season was that the roster was too good to go 5-12. Maybe it wasn’t as good as we thought in the summer, but there were too many above-average players to allow for a long losing streak and a last-place finish.
That’s what Johnson inherits, and the Bears are betting that he can get the most out of them.
This is our fifth annual breakdown of the Bears’ roster into tiers, and it includes nine “foundational” players and several others who could be in that category soon enough. Free agency and the draft will only add to the makeup of a Bears team that has more established players than most teams with a first-year head coach.
“Foundational” players factor in talent, contract and how likely a player will be starting not only next season but into 2026 and beyond.
Foundational players
QB Caleb Williams
WR Rome Odunze
WR D.J. Moore
TE Cole Kmet
RT Darnell Wright
DE Montez Sweat
LB Tremaine Edmunds
CB Jaylon Johnson
CB Kyler Gordon
This group gained Williams and Odunze but lost T.J. Edwards, as he enters the final year of his contract, and defensive backs Tyrique Stevenson and Jaquan Brisker.
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The Bears should feel good about having young, ascending players on rookie contracts at premium positions like Williams, Odunze, Wright and Gordon, with the latter in line for an extension this offseason. Moore (27), Kmet (25) and Johnson (25) are all still well shy of 30 and playing at a high level.
Sweat has the contract and talent to be in this category, but the production last season didn’t match. Finding a complement (or two) for him this offseason should help. Wright also has room to improve his game, as he didn’t take the second-year leap many were hoping for. But they are still no-doubt starters for this team in 2025 and ’26.
Edmunds might be a bigger question mark. Similar to Sweat and Wright, his performance in 2024 might not reflect “foundational player” as much as his contract does, but at his age (26), it’s worth seeing what he looks like in Dennis Allen’s defense.
Gervon Dexter took a big step forward in his second season. Can he lock up a spot as a foundational player in 2025? (Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
Possible foundational players
LT Braxton Jones
DT Gervon Dexter
CB Tyrique Stevenson
Jones and Dexter return to this category for the second year in a row. With Jones entering the final year of his rookie deal and coming off an ankle injury, it’s hard to know what his future in Chicago holds. General manager Ryan Poles, who said there will be competition at left tackle, could draft or sign someone to replace Jones. Then again, we can’t rule out the possibility that he’s the Week 1 starter, and if he can hold his own in the new offense, he’d be primed for a new contract.
It can certainly be argued that Dexter deserves to be in the “foundational” category after a team-high 19 QB hits. He was the most challenging player to slot in this exercise. I do want to see what he can do in a new scheme, and he should be lined up to be both a foundational piece and a contract extension candidate next winter.
Stevenson drops a tier after a, let’s say, “wild” second season. He led the team with 12 passes defensed and had two picks, but there was that whole Hail Mary incident, not to mention another stretch of having to rotate with Terell Smith. The skill level is absolutely there. Can Allen and new secondary coach Al Harris get the most out of Stevenson?
Veterans under contract for 2025, but what about beyond?
LB T.J. Edwards
OL Jonah Jackson*
RB D’Andre Swift
S Kevin Byard
OL Ryan Bates
* — Trade not official until March 12
The only thing keeping Edwards in this separate category is the contract. He’s entering Year 3 of a three-year deal, and he’s quite the bargain for what he’s been able to do on the field. Often last season, it seemed like Edwards was the main bright spot for the defense. But without an extension, it’s hard to call him a “foundational player.”
The acquisition of Jackson puts him in an unusual spot, not too different from Bates last season. His contract dictates this as a one-year, prove-it opportunity to start. He can parlay that into being a foundational player next winter or maybe a “possible” foundational piece if he holds his own and the Bears stick with him for 2026. Or maybe Jackson’s injury bug comes with him to Chicago. Either way, he’ll be an intriguing player to watch this year.
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Johnson’s comments about Swift in Indianapolis support the idea that Swift will be part of the backfield in 2025, but will someone else be the No. 1? If so, the Bears have an out in his contract before 2026.
Byard will be 32 at the start of next season, but he did have career-high marks in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks last season. But his future beyond ’25 is in doubt based on his age and contract.
One of the reasons the Bears have such a need on the interior is that Bates couldn’t stay healthy in his first year in Chicago. Maybe he’ll turn out to be the top backup at guard or center. Who knows, maybe he gets to OTAs fully healthy and plays like the player Poles traded for. These are hypotheticals, as we haven’t seen it yet from Bates.
Core players at non-premium spots
QB Tyson Bagent
RB Roschon Johnson
DT Andrew Billings
CB Terell Smith
S Jonathan Owens
P Tory Taylor
K Cairo Santos
This category, which came to life last year to reflect the depth Poles has added, is virtually the same with the additions of Owens and Taylor. I consider this group to be special teamers, backup players who should make the roster, and Billings, who was critical to last year’s defense before his pec injury. He’s entering the final year of his contract.
Johnson has the skill set to stick around the league for a while; he just might not be the productive runner some thought he could be coming out of Texas. Bagent may be one of the team’s most valuable players considering his contract, age and position.
The restricted free agents
LB Jack Sanborn
CB Josh Blackwell
CB Jaylon Jones
DT Chris Williams
All four of these players likely would move up to the previous category if they get tendered or re-signed on new deals. Sanborn, Blackwell and Jones are three of the Bears’ best special teams players, and we’ve seen how each of them has been impactful on defense when called upon — especially Sanborn, who reportedly will not receive the $3.263 million tender. Williams turned out to be a small revelation last season after coming over via trade, hitting career-high marks. He could be a nice rotational piece in the middle of the defense. We’ll see how Poles handles these players. What might make the most sense is re-signing them to one- or two-year deals that come below that RFA number.
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Hoping to round out the 53
OT Kiran Amegadjie
G Bill Murray
DT Zacch Pickens
LB Noah Sewell
WR Tyler Scott
S Elijah Hicks
DE Austin Booker
DE Dominique Robinson
Amegadjie has the highest ceiling of this group. The 75th pick of the draft got off to a brutal start to his NFL career, missing the entire offseason training program and then getting thrown into the lineup on short notice in Minnesota — and that didn’t go well. But what’s Johnson’s evaluation of Amegadjie? Could he still be the left tackle of the future? For now, he’s still an unknown, but he shouldn’t be written off.
Pickens should be in a more prominent category, but he was mostly a nonfactor last season while battling injuries, finishing with only one sack and two tackles for loss. This will be a critical season for him to stay in the rotation.
What if Murray didn’t get hurt in Washington? He was one of the breakthrough players of training camp and had played well in his spots before tearing his pec. Booker has the height, length and potential to be a rotational edge rusher one day, but we didn’t see enough to have him in a more solidified group.
Sewell, Scott, Hicks and Robinson form a quartet of Poles Day 3 picks who might be on the roster bubble and will need to show well on special teams.
(Top photo: Lon Horwedel / Imagn Images)
