The Chicago Bears, coming off of a successful 2025 campaign, appear poised for a multi-year run of contention due to the amount of young talent on the team.
It all starts up front with QB Caleb Williams (24 years old), but he’s far from the only young building block that GM Ryan Poles has assembled.
The list of budding stars under 25 is lengthy: Colston Loveland (22), Rome Odunze (24), Luther Burden III (22), Dillon Thieneman (21), Darnell Wright (24), and Austin Booker (23), to name a few. That’s
a heck of a young core that will only continue to get better.
ESPN took notice in their recent “Ranking NFL teams by under-25 talent” list. The Bears came in at number three, trailing only last year’s Super Bowl runner-up New England Patriots and the Houston Texans.
Here was their methodology for the list:
- Number of starts made by players under 25 years old
- Number of snaps played by players under 25 years old
- Quality of play by players under 25 years old, age-adjusted to capture the fact that a 21-year-old player of X ability will likely improve more than a 23-year-old player of X ability — and with extra consideration given to Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections
- Value and length of player contracts
- Relative importance of positions, with quarterbacks being more important and running backs, off-ball linebackers and specialists being less important than other positions
- Draft value added in the 2026 draft, particularly in the first three rounds
- Expected key starters and reserves under 25 years old for teams in 2026
- Significant injuries or suspensions that will affect the 2026 availability of players under 25 years old
Here’s what they had to say about the Bears:
Once again, the most important young talent a team can have is at quarterback. And the Bears have a budding star in Williams, who threw for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2025. He will be 25 on Nov. 18. His top targets are all under 25, as well. Odunze is 24, while Luther Burden III and Loveland are still just 22. Even the backups to those guys are young; the Bears used third-round picks on tight end Sam Roush and wide receiver Zavion Thomas, also both 22.
Elsewhere on the roster, you will find left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, who is 24 but was discounted a bit because of a torn patellar tendon that will cost him part of this season. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. is 24, and last year’s second-round pick, edge rusher Shemar Turner, is 23. This year’s draft picks add more impact youth, headlined by safety Dillon Thieneman (age 22) and center Logan Jones (24).
One notable fact is that they didn’t consider Darnell Wright for the Bears when making the list, as he will turn 25 in just a couple of weeks. He was listed as a “graduated player.”
What do you think? Patriots, Texans, then the Bears? Let us know in the comments section below!
