A problem foreign to Bears fans emerged in the aftermath of the 2025 Draft – do the Bears have too much offensive talent?
At roughly 6:38 pm on April 25th, Chicago Bears fans were confronted with an unfamiliar question.
Do we have too much offensive talent?
Entering the 2025 NFL draft, you’d be hard pressed to find any analyst who was giving the Bears another WR in one of the first three rounds. After the Bears selected Colston Loveland at pick 10, this idea seemed even more far-fetched.
And then Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson went nuclear.
In attempts to rationalize the situation, Bears fans started concocting scenarios where one or more offensive talents had to be traded. Surely teams aren’t allowed to have more than two, maybe three offensive weapons at a time, right? RIGHT?!
Recall the Bears’ best offense of the last 25 years. In 2013, Marc Trestman, Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey, Martellus Bennett, and Matt Forte made for a formidable group that was 2nd in the league in points. It feels like a high water mark – an offense difficult for Bears fans to imagine surpassing.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Still, that 2013 squad was fairly conventionally built. Two good WRs, one good TE, and one good RB. However, if they wanted to run 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, and 3 WRs) your next man up was Earl Bennett. Now, no slight to Earl Bennett, but he had a modest 243 yards receiving in 2013. A good, not great addition.
In 21 personnel (2 RBs, 1 TE, and 2 WRs) they could add Michael Bush. A solid, if unspectacular backup RB.
In 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, and 2 WRs)? Dante Rosario was your backup TE. He had 1 catch for 4 yards in 2013.
Fast forward to 2025, and it’s an embarrassment of riches on offense. The depth chart is insane.
WR: DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Olamide Zacchaeus, Devin Duvernay, Tyler Scott, Miles Boykin, Samori Toure
TE: Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Durham Smythe, Stephen Carlson
RB: D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Kyle Monangai, Travis Homer, Ian Wheeler
Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images
Just look at it.
Soak it in.
Not only does every position group have at least one impact player, each group has remarkable depth as well.
The Bears can conceivably run any offensive package and not have a serious weak link. Even the strangest packages present interesting possibilities:
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
00 Personnel: DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Olamide Zacchaeus, Devin Duvernay
13 Personnel: D’Andre Swift, Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Durham Smythe, DJ Moore
21 Personnel: D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden
23 Personnel: D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Durham Smythe (maybe this one is a little far-fetched)
Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
No matter how you dice it – this offense can accommodate any grouping that Ben Johnson dreams up. For a coach with seemingly infinite creativity, this should be exciting for Bears fans. And with a quarterback in Caleb Williams, behind a significantly improved OL, the Bears offense should seriously contend to be a top 5 unit.
Now, my question is not about whether this team has the potential to be excellent on offense, but rather:
Can the Bears maximize their offensive talent?
This gets a lot trickier to answer. I’d argue that the Bears have as much potential on offense as any team in the league right now. Caleb Williams is teeming with talent. The aforementioned skill positions are as deep as ever, and the offensive line is as good as it has been in a decade. It’s up to Ben Johnson to work fast and diligently to get everyone up to speed.
My answer? I don’t think they quite maximize things. It feels like too many moving parts to be able to do that. A new HC, three new OL who have never played together, a 2nd year QB in a brand new system, and a rookie TE (a position that, before Bowers, takes time to develop).
Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
I think this offense is still a year away from reaching its potential and maximizing the raw talent. Additionally, veterans like Moore and Kmet may have their roles reduced slightly to make space for other playmakers. Neither has shown themselves to be the disgruntled type, but then again, neither of them has had to share their role as much as they might heading into the 2025 season.
Regardless, Bears fans should embrace this new normal. It might be scary, or hard to imagine, but it is possible to operate a 21st century offense in Chicago. Ben Johnson seems hellbent on proving that.
Now it’s your turn! Do you think that the Bears can maximize their offensive talent for the 2025 season? Sound off in the comments!