As OTAs are opening, it’s time to begin our yearly series of the 10 Chicago Bears with the most to prove. This has been an interesting exercise each year, and unfortunately for the Bears, most of the players on these lists showed up on the wrong side of it by the end of the year.
Let’s take a look at the 2025 list and see how players did.
10. Roschon Johnson: Johnson was often injured and never emerged as a key offensive player. Johnson returns because he has one more year on his rookie deal, but doesn’t
appear to be a key contributor in 2026.
9. Jaquan Brisker: Brisker stayed healthy and had a solid season, but we said he needed to show elite skills if the Bears were going to offer him a second contract. Brisker is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
8. Gervon Dexter: Dexter had an up-and-down season but didn’t take a step forward towards becoming a major force for the Bears’ defensive line. He enters the final year of his contract, and it’s 50-50 (at best) that he receives a second contract.
7. Cole Kmet: Kmet did everything Ben Johnson wanted from him. He evolved as a player to fit the role Johnson needed; he caught a couple of massive balls when called upon, and he is a leader in the locker room. Kmet showed he is part of the Bears’ plans moving forward, despite their drafting Colston Loveland and now Sam Roush.
6. Tremaine Edmunds: We said Edmunds was going to have a massive season in 2025 if the Bears were going to keep him on the 2026 squad. Edmunds had very little guaranteed money left on his contract this year, and unless he stepped up, it was going to be an easy departure. Edmunds is now a member of the New York Giants.
5. Left Tackle: Neither Kiran Amedgadjie nor Braxton Jones made much of an impact at this position last year. Theo Benedet needed to start several games in the middle of the season before Ozzy Trapilo was able to step in and stabilize the position. Jones did receive a second contract, but only because of Trapilo’s unfortunate injury. Amegadjie does not appear to be in the Bears’ plans.
4. Montez Sweat: While Sweat didn’t return to the electric form he had back in 2023, he did significantly improve his play from 2024 and has become a key part of the Bears’ defense. Sweat is arguably the best player on the Bears’ defense heading into the 2026 season.
3. Tyrique Stevenson: Stevenson needed to put the Hail Mary play and some of his other antics behind him, and while he didn’t have issues with the same on-field antics, he clearly didn’t ingratiate himself with this new coaching staff. Stevenson struggled to find playing time towards the end of the season, and it looks like he will be in a camp competition this year with fourth-round rookie Malik Muhammad.
2. DJ Moore: Moore made the list due to a lot of his pouting and physical demeanor during the 2024 season. Moore had an up-and-down 2025. He made some of the best catches of the season, but also disappeared at times and struggled to help Caleb Williams in the scramble drill. Moore’s final play with the Bears that resulted in a crippling interception against the Rams may have largely been on Moore’s shoulders. Had Moore been indispensable after the 2025 season, he would have almost certainly returned, but he finds himself a member of the Buffalo Bills.
1. Caleb Williams: Williams was the first overall pick in 2024, and while the season was a dumpster fire around him, he outperformed during his rookie season by three QBs drafted behind him. Caleb needed to quiet the critics, and that he did, making jaw-dropping plays, winning a playoff game, and positioning himself to become one of the league’s next great QBs.
