The 2025 NFL regular season is right around the corner as we approach the end of July and the start of training camp for all 32 teams around the league. After an offseason full of big moves and ever-changing rosters, each fan base will head into the season with a renewed sense of optimism. The Chicago Bears and their fans are no different. Following the hiring of a brand new coaching staff, an expensive free agent period, and four draft picks in the Top 62, there’s plenty of reason to believe that
things could be different this year.
Every year, teams go from worst to first, or from really bad to being a playoff team. The Bears could be one of those “feel-good” stories this season, but it’ll take vast improvement all over their roster. Here are 10 players who could break out in 2025 and help the Bears reach the postseason for the first time since 2020.
10. WR Luther Burden III
Can a rookie truly be a breakout candidate? Sure, why not! As you’ll see, the further we get down this list, the more we see that Burden is far from the only rookie on this list.
The Bears surprised many when they took Burden at No. 39 during Day 2 of the draft. Many had expected them to make a run at one of the top running backs or maybe even an edge rusher. Instead, they stuck to their board and took a player who drew comparisons to D.J. Moore. Unlike last year when the team traded for Keenan Allen and drafted Rome Odunze, there’s a clear plan in place for how first-year head coach Ben Johnson wants to use his receivers. Speed has been a big focus this offseason, and for anyone who watched the Bears’ offense last season, it’s clear why. This unit needs players who can separate.
Although some might argue that Burden is too similar to a player like Moore, it’s easy to say that having two players with similar skill sets can help keep the defense on their toes. With both players on the field, it will be harder for opposing teams to identify which players are in each role. It’s fair to expect Burden to start as the team’s fourth or fifth option, but it’s also realistic to expect him to become a bigger piece as the season progresses. Don’t be surprised to see Burden finish as the team’s second receiver.
9. CB Josh Blackwell
Call it a gut feeling but I have a feeling that one of Blackwell or Elijah Hicks will be featured as the sixth defensive back when Dennis Allen’s defense goes into their dime packages. Unlike most teams, Allen tends to play a lot more dime than he does in base packages, which means we’ll see an additional defensive back that should see the field far more than the third linebacker would. Earlier in the offseason, the team’s defensive coordinator talked about “cross-training” Kyler Gordon at another position, likely safety. Don’t be surprised to see them do the same with Blackwell, too. He recently signed a two-year extension and is a player they value as a depth and special teams piece. He’s played well when called upon as Gordon’s primary backup. Even if he’s a little undersized, he would make a lot of sense as a versatile piece who can be the sixth defensive back on the field.
8. TE Colston Loveland
Loveland becomes the second of three rookies on the list that has a chance to make a significant impact in 2025. Heading into the draft, it felt like the Bears were hoping for one of the Top 3 tackles to fall to them. In the end, three went in the first nine picks, which left Chicago with an interesting dilemma. Do they take the supposed consensus top tight end, Tyler Warren? They could have also gone defense, with a bevy of edge rushers and defensive tackles on the board. In the end, they took the player they felt best suited Johnson’s new offense. Loveland is taller but shares a similar skill set to Sam LaPorta in Detroit. In LaPorta’s rookie year, he posted 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Although I’m not sure Loveland will see that type of production in Year 1, he feels like a safe bet to end the year as TE1. That’s not a knock on Cole Kmet, who will likely slide into more of an inline role. Loveland is a seam stretcher who has the athleticism to become a big factor in Year 1. Don’t be surprised if the rookie tight end ends up second on the team in receiving yards and/or touchdowns.
7. OT Ozzy Trapilo
The third and final rookie on this list comes with the biggest projection. There’s no guarantee that Trapilo will be a Week 1 starter, but I’m choosing to believe that he’ll get enough of a chance during training camp to win a job. How that happens or which side of the line that’s on is still unclear. The former Boston College product is a three-year starter and has more than enough athleticism and polish to play on either side. Left tackle is the biggest question on the line heading into camp, but I’d argue the Bears have three intriguing options. I bet that Trapilo gets the first crack at the starting job and never looks back under Dan Roushar’s guidance.
6. DT Gervon Dexter Sr.
If fans could judge a season based on a sample-sized stretch, Dexter would have been a breakout player last season in Year 2. He started the season hot, tallying four sacks in the team’s first five contests. Unfortunately for the 23-year-old, he would finish with just one more sack over his final 10 games. On the surface, it might feel like the Bears were looking to phase him out and give him a lesser role. If the offseason program was any indication, this new coaching staff still has big plans for him, as they should. Don’t be surprised to see him play more of a Dexter Lawrence role this season, where he can wreck the pocket from the one-technique spot, while also sliding over to play three-technique. The talent is there, as is the ceiling. Fans should expect him to get plenty of playing time early. With Dennis Allen’s track record for developing defensive linemen, there’s plenty of reason for optimism surrounding the third-year defensive tackle.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26057104/usa_today_24188558.jpg)
David Banks-Imagn Images5. CB Tyrique Stevenson
To say that 2025 is a big year for the former second-round pick would be an understatement. Following his rookie year, if you asked most Bears fans their thoughts on the former Miami product, most would have believed he was primed to be one of the better corners in the league over the next few years. The start of 2024 was OK, but then the infamous Hail Mary play in Washington happened. Not only was that defensive series the end of the Eberflus era, but it also clearly shook the confidence of Stevenson following the backlash from the team and fanbase.
Whenever a new coaching staff is brought in, they always say that everyone starts with a clean slate. While their intentions might reflect that, I’ve always felt that it rarely plays out that way. Listening to both Johnson and Allen talk, I don’t get the feeling Stevenson’s leash is going to be long. That means he needs to impress during camp and hold off Terell Smith. Assuming he can get to Week 1 as the starter, there’s reason to believe Allen’s defense is a scheme he can excel in, especially in man-coverage. It all starts with a first impression, which Stevenson fully controls. Assuming he can pass that test and get on the field when it matters, he could take a big step forward in Year 3 and put last year’s disaster behind him.
4. DE Austin Booker
Was there one player that came out of April’s draft a bigger winner than Booker? Many felt the Bears would target an edge rusher early, when in fact they passed on the position altogether. Even more promising for last year’s fifth-round pick: Allen confirmed that Shemar Turner will be focused on learning both defensive tackle spots before they try him out on the edge. As of writing this, Booker’s profile is the team’s first man off the bench at defensive end. Despite an impressive preseason and a nonstop motor, Booker’s production in his rookie year was few and far between. Now, he’ll have a chance to receive high-level rotational snaps alongside better defensive end depth and a considerably better group of defensive tackles. Chicago put a lot of faith in Booker last year when they traded a 2024 fourth-round pick to get back into the draft and take him. Now he has the chance to reward their faith with a big year in 2025.
3. OT Darnell Wright
No matter who starts opposite Wright, the former No. 10 overall pick is going to play an essential role on the offensive line in 2025. Wright’s first season was up and down like most rookies, and although he started 2024 slowly, he looked like one of the better tackles in the league by the end of last season. There’s been some talk that the former Tennessee product might get a chance to see time at left tackle. Regardless of where he lines up this season, fans should expect a big jump forward under new offensive line coach Dan Roushar. He’s a good fit for their new wide zone blocking scheme, and as long as he can stay healthy, it would not be a surprise to see him finish the year as a Top 10 tackle (at either side). This is also his final year to “prove it” before the team has to decide on his fifth-year option next May.
2. WR Rome Odunze
Last year’s receiving class might go down as one of the better groups in recent history. Odunze was the third receiver taken, but didn’t produce the way that many expected him to in Year 1. The offense was a mess, and both offensive play-callers misused all three receivers in their roles. Under Johnson, Odunze has the opportunity to break out. It will take some time to see how he plans to use his embarrassment of riches at the offensive skill positions, but Odunze should be a big part of this offense. Although he tested well at the combine, his 40-yard dash time and play speed didn’t quite align. In the proper role, the former Washington product is more of a possession receiver with the long speed to challenge defenders down the field as a deep threat. Year 2 should be very telling for how Odunze will truly look as an NFL wide receiver, but fans should expect a big year.
1. QB Caleb Williams
Going into last year, many (including myself) believed that Williams had the best situation ever for a No. 1 overall pick at the quarterback position. Unfortunately, many of us underestimated how wrong of a hire Shane Waldron was, and how much more they needed on the offensive line. In total, the former USC product had a solid rookie season. There were highs and lows, but the highs were impressive, and the lows felt fixable.
The good news: They hired a proven offensive mind at head coach, completely re-shaped the offensive line, and added more weapons for him to throw to. There has been much made about his pre-draft process and his grave concerns about the organization’s history of ruining young quarterbacks. It drew quite the reaction in May, but the reality is that none of it matters now. Poles made plenty of mistakes in 2024, including overvaluing the talent along the offensive line. Thanks to Johnson, many of those issues have been resolved, at least on paper.
2025 is all about getting Williams back on track. The talent is there, the mentality to be great is there, and the coaching staff is better than we’ve seen in years. It’s all on Williams’ shoulders to take the next step and become the player many expected coming out of the draft. Bears fans should have complete confidence in the second-year quarterback, despite a tumultuous rookie campaign that saw plenty of rollercoaster-like moments.
My prediction: Williams breaks multiple franchise records, including becoming the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history and throwing for 30-plus touchdowns. Dream big, because the Bears sure are.
More from windycitygridiron.com:
