3 hottest Chicago Bears takes coming out of 2025 minicamp

The Chicago Bears are ready to make some noise during the 2025 NFL season. Chicago has been praised as the most improved team in the NFL this offseason and it is easy to understand the hype. The Bears got off to a hot start, adding former Lions OC Ben Johnson as their next head head coach.

Chicago also made some important moves during NFL free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bears started by rebuilding the interior of their offensive line through a series of gutsy trades. Then they addressed the defensive trenches by adding both Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo during free agency.

Finally, the Bears laid a foundation for the future in the 2025 NFL Draft. Chicago added several playmakers, headlined by Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III, who could be consistent contributors for years to come.

Now the team has had the chance to hit the practice field during OTAs and minicamp. The team is beginning to gel together under Johnson's leadership and will continue to grow during training camp.

But which players will have the most success this fall? And what do we already know about the 2025 Bears following mandatory minicamp?

Below we will explore three Bears hot takes coming out of Chicago's minicamp.

Rome Odunze is ready for breakout season after middling rookie campaign

Rome Odunze had high expectations during his rookie season in Chicago.

The Bears drafted Odunze with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft with the hopes that he would soon become Caleb Williams' top target.

Odunze had a solid season, logging 54 receptions for 734 yards and three touchdowns. But it was not enough to lift the team out of its chaotic situation.

Odunze admitted that 2024 was a rough season, but he still has plenty of time to grow and improve before the 2025 season.

Odunze has been hard at work this offseason getting his body ready for the fall. He explained during minicamp that he prioritized both mental and physical growth this offseason.

“This offseason I think I've just tried to build physically, mentally as well,” Odunze said. “Just trying to put myself in peak condition, spiritually, mentally, physically, for this season, for me to have the best season yet that I've had in this league. So that comes to a lot of different aspects, to focusing on the playbook, to focusing on the weight room, getting faster, getting stronger, all those different things.”

Odunze also made the bold claim that he wants to have at least 1,000 yards receiving and double digit touchdowns in 2025.

He has a great shot to meet those goals in Ben Johnson's new offense.

Luther Burden III will be under a lot of pressure during Bears training camp

The Luther Burden selection by the Bears almost felt like a luxury pick.

Burden was the final offensive skill player the Bears added this offseason, giving Johnson plenty of weapons to work with.

Burden has a chance to play his way into the starting lineup during training camp. In fact, most Bears fans assume that this will happen. This creates a lot of pressure for Burden to succeed right away.

Unfortunately, Burden will have to get back up to speed at the beginning of training camp. He suffered a soft tissue injury back in May and hasn't seen the practice field much since.

The sky is not falling yet. Burden has plenty of time to get healthy ahead of training camp. He can then compete for a starting job, as long as he remains healthy.

The worst-case scenario for Burden is a slow start to training camp. If that happens, it could be weeks or months before he cracks the starting lineup. Hopefully Bears fans would be forgiving in that situation, but that is never a guarantee.

As a result, Burden will be under heavy pressure to succeed immediately during training camp.

The Bears will improve rapidly during Ben Johnson's first season as head coach

It is never easy as a first-year head coach in the NFL.

There is a reason why first-year head coaches often do not find success as quickly as they'd like. Bringing a new collection of players, schemes, and coaches together to create a new culture is incredibly difficult to do. It is even harder to do in less than one year.

But I believe that Johnson could have high levels of success in year one in Chicago.

One reason is how Johnson has changed the way the Bears are preparing themselves for the 2025 season.

Johnson explained in a recent interview how he's approached preparing each individual player so far this offseason.

“When [the players] came in in the springtime, each position coach had specific items of action for them to focus on,” Johnson said via the team website. “We'd studied their tape really hard. Each guy had areas of improvement we wanted to get better at. Some were able to achieve that over the course of the spring. Others we really need pads on to hammer that home. Some of that doesn't change. Each guy knows where they stand right now. We'll really have the competition cranked up once we get back.”

Johnson should have his players ready to play in Week 1. His strengths as a motivator and schematic genius could have the Bears running circles around their opponents this September.

I would be shocked if the Bears win fewer than 10 games during the 2025 NFL season.