These annual look-backs at my previous 10 Most Important Chicago Bears lists are often depressing, because before last year, I had only covered three winning seasons as a writer here at WCG (2009-). The majority of the guys on my — these are the most important guys who really need to come through for the Bears to be good lists — did not come through.
But that all changed in 2025!
And if everything continues on the trajectory the franchise is on, my time cheering for and covering a bad football team
are over!
This is the first series I was asked to write here at WCG, making this upcoming Most Important Bears list the 18th consecutive offseason doing it. And because I like to keep things as consistent as possible, the criteria I came up with back then is what I still use when contemplating the list.
What potential impact they may have, how much the team will look to the individual for guidance or leadership, how badly the team would suffer if they lost the player to injury, and other intangible attributes.
My list may differ from yours, and that’s okay, because the bottom line is that “importance” is subjective. So treat these as a way to spark some hopeful discussion about our favorite football team.
Here’s last year’s list, and you can click this link to see the full reasoning behind my 2025 articles in the story stream.
10) Drew Dalman – The long search for a center was seemingly over when Dalman was signed and went on to play Pro Bowl-level football in 2025. But he retired… so the Bears were back to square one.
9) Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland – Ben Johnson discussed how much he wanted to use 12 personnel with his rookie and the returning Kmet, and both of those players came through. Loveland looks like a future All-Pro, and Kmet had a solid year.
8) Grady Jarrett – Jarrett got big money, but he didn’t produce on the field. An injury slowed him early, and while he flashed a few times, he didn’t make an impact.
7) Rome Odunze – The injury bug hampered Odunze for more than half the year, but early on, he looked like one of the better wideouts in the NFL with 20 receptions, 296 yards, and 5 touchdowns in four games.
6) Left Tackle – The biggest question mark on the team saw four guys battle for the job in camp, and a completely different player getting the playoff start at the position. Ben Johnson was able to scheme around the issues at the position, and it never stood out as a problem.
5) Kyler Gordon – The Bears had big plans and high hopes for the highest pad nickleback in the NFL, but he only appeared in 3 regular-season games.
4) Jaylon Johnson – Injuries prevented Jaylon from building off consecutive Pro Bowl nods, and even in the games he played, he never looked like he was 100%.
Luckily for Chicago’s secondary, Nahshon Wright and C. J. Gardner-Johnson picked up the slack.
3) Montez Sweat – Head coach Ben Johnson thought Sweat had the best year of his career, and he recently made the NFL Top 100 player list. He was clearly Chicago’s best d-lineman in 2025.
2) Joe Thuney – Bringing Thuney over was the first step to solidifying the offensive line, and he lived up to all the hype: First Team All-Pro and the inaugural winner of the Protector of the Year Award.
1) Caleb Williams – There was so much good from Caleb in 2025, but so much more room to grow. The Bears have a franchise quarterback.
Stay tuned for the kickoff of my 2026 1o Most Important Bears list!
