Getty
Ben Johnson Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears’ disappointing 2025 season can basically be attributed to one thing: bad line play.
Well, that and head coach, Matt Eberflus, with his historically poor clock management in one-score games.
Whilst the team has certainly made efforts to address both sides of the trenches; adding Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman on offense, and Grady Jarrett & Dayo Odeyingbo on defense; there is still much work to be done.
The Bears need a high-level reinforcement at either – or both – of left tackle and edge rusher. Which is why it was surprising that Pro Football Focus, in their list of every team’s “biggest need” ahead of this year’s draft, listed running back as Chicago’s #1 priority.
In doing so, they suggest that the team could target either Boise State phenom, Ashton Jeanty early on in the draft, or Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten, in the later rounds.
“Jeanty will be highly coveted in the 2025 draft, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if a team tried to trade up to get him. If he’s off the board by the time the Bears pick at No. 10, they could pivot to selecting an offensive lineman to help protect Caleb Williams.”
“For a later-round addition, Bhayshul Tuten offers explosive speed — he earned an 80.7 rushing grade in 2024 and ran a blazing 4.32 40-yard dash at the combine, the fastest among all running backs.”
Is Running Back Really The Bears’ Premier Need Coming Into The Draft?
In short – no. Between D’Andre Swift, who logged close to 1,000 rushing yards last season, and former fourth round pick, Roschon Johnson, who is still a capable back despite his limited production, Chicago already has talent running the ball residing on their roster.
But adding another back should certainly be on the mind of a team looking to establish their run game to help support young QB, Caleb Williams, particularly given the short shelf-life of a typical back in the league at this point in time.
However, to label the position as the Bears’ “biggest need” is somewhat egregious given the state of the their offensive and defensive lines, in spite of the offseason upgrades that have already been made.
What Is The Bears’ Actual #1 Need?
Outside of special teams, where the Bears had some trouble with current placekicker, Cairo Santos‘s low kick trajectory, the Bears definitely need help at left tackle.
Braxton Jones has been a serviceable starter since taking over as starting LT in 2023, but his play still leaves much to be desired for a position that when done right, can be a truly dominant weapon in the pass and run game – as the 49ers‘ Trent Williams continues to demonstrate.
With three new interior offensive lineman, and former first round pick, Darnell Wright, covering the other four positions, all that remains for the Bears to have a fully reformed line is to find their left tackle of the future.
Or, one could easily make the case that defensive end is the main priority for a team whose top d-lineman, Montez Sweat, recorded just 5.5 sacks in 2024.
Even with the addition of Odeyingbo, whose production has never managed to reach elite heights in his four years in the league, Chicago could certainly use another dominant face on the edge to finally get their pass rush going in 2025.
