Bears predicted to make biggest leap forward in 2025 season

As soon as the Chicago Bears fired former head coach Matt Eberflus the day after a humiliating Thanksgiving Day loss, the first time in the franchise's 105-year history that they fired a head coach midseason, some analysts and fans just knew that they were watching the beginning of something special. A few more miserable losses had to be endured, but once the offseason began, GM Ryan Poles moved at lightning speed.

First came the hiring of the hottest head coaching candidate in years, Ben Johnson. This was no small feat itself, considering how hard other teams were reportedly courting the highly regarded offensive guru for their own head coach openings. Then Poles finally dropped a truckload of mon ey on the offensive line, pulling out root and branch the starting interior O-line from 2024 and replacing them with proven veterans.

Other impactful moves have been made, but it was these two decisions, hiring Ben Johnson and revamping the interior offensive line, that made the biggest difference, and it's exactly why most analysts are high on the Bears.

In fact, in a recent article on NFL.com, seven NFL analysts and writers were asked which team they expected to be the most improved in 2025, and three of them picked the Bears. No other team got more than one vote. Kevin Patra, Jeffri Chadiha, and David Carr gave their own reasonings for selecting Chicago, and everything they said reflected a similar theme: these Bears are not your fathers' Bears.

"Sometimes the easy answer is also the correct answer. The Bears completely revamped their biggest areas of weakness in one offseason: The coaching staff and offensive line," wrote Patra. Carr provided additional analysis, writing, "With those major changes to the coaching staff and offense, and the defense adding key pieces to its front, Chicago is in good position to vie for first place in a loaded division."

As for Chadiha, he went on to say, "They hired a bright offensive mind in Ben Johnson to help quarterback Caleb Williams reach his potential. They rebuilt the interior of the offensive to make sure Williams is protected after he was sacked 68 times as a rookie... that should be enough to help the Bears find a playoff spot despite playing in the ultra-competitive NFC North."

Some NFL fans (certainly not Bears fans) and analysts may be tired of hearing about Chicago's alleged improvements. We've been down this road many times before with the Bears and it invariably ended with disappointment. But this time, it really feels different than the last couple of times that it was said 'the Bears are back'. Even saying that it's different this time feel different this time.

To echo what Patra had to say, sometimes the obvious answer is the correct one. The Bears do of course need to actually prove themselves when the regular season begins, but on paper they have made the biggest leap forward of any team. Hopefully, the win/loss column finally reflects the fanbase's confidence.