The Bears have made some massive coaching and player personnel changes this offseason. Those changes will bring new expectations for the individual players and the team as a whole. Some of the players could be in line for a huge year with the new schemes and culture Ben Johnson is bringing to Chicago. Those players may be rewarded with a Pro Bowl selection. Which potential first-time Pro Bowlers could the Bears send to Orlando?
QB Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams quickly made a name for himself in his rookie year and has plenty of room to grow in Johnson’s offense.
Jared Goff earned two Pro Bowl nods in Johnson’s system while in Detroit. The first was in 2022 with Johnson’s first full year of calling plays, and the most recent was in 2024. Goff was also able to throw 30 or more touchdowns in each of the last two years and achieved a career-best 72.4% completion percentage last season.
Williams started 2024 with a not-so-warm welcome to the league as he threw four interceptions in his first three games. After that, he only threw two picks the rest of the season. In a conference where there are fewer superstar quarterbacks, even a slightly above-average year from Williams could give him his first Pro Bowl selection.
WR D.J. Moore
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
D.J. Moore had a Pro Bowl-worthy season in his first year with the Bears in 2023, but was snubbed due to the overwhelming talent around the NFC at the receiver position.
2024 was a down year for him, but that was due to the coaching staff poorly utilizing his skillset. Moore is better when you get the ball to him in the short and intermediate parts of the field and let him create after the catch. Shane Waldron continued to throw him screen passes behind the line of scrimmage which got sniffed out often due to how often the Bears ran them.
Luckily for Moore, he gets to work under a former offensive coordinator who knows how to properly use the weapons at his disposal.
Johnson sent Lions’ receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to the Pro Bowl each of the last three years while Johnson was calling plays in Detroit. He accumulated over 140 receptions in each of those seasons while also getting at least 1,160 yards in all three as well.
St. Brown and Moore may have very different skillsets, but that doesn’t mean they can’t equally impact a game. Moore has proven multiple times that he can take over a game with his YAC ability. For those curious, check out his game against the Commanders in 2023.
Moore is more than likely due to have a massive increase in production in 2025 thanks to Johnson’s coaching and Williams’ quarterback play. Fans just need to hope that Moore’s season competes with the rest of the stacked receiving rooms in the NFC.
OT Darnell Wright
Darnell Wright will be entering his third season in the league, but also his most important season. With a new coach to impress, Wright will need to show both improvement and consistency in Johnson’s system.
Wright has already been very solid for the Bears since coming into the league, posting a 79.3 PFF grade in 2024. Luckily for Wright, Johnson has already had experience with young tackles while in Detroit.
Penei Sewell has been an absolute unit for the Lions since being drafted in 2021. He’s made three straight Pro Bowls and has two All-Pro selections as well. Sewell’s ability to dominate as a pass blocker and in the run game gave the Lions offense versatility that very few teams can replicate.
He committed only six penalties and one sack in 2024 while also playing the most run-blocking snaps in the league. That level of discipline is a combination of Sewell’s talent and Johnson’s culture he is bringing to Chicago.
Wright and Sewell have some obvious similarities as they both stand at 6’5 and weigh 335 pounds. If anyone will be able to replicate just a little bit of Sewell’s results, it will be Coach Johnson.
Main Image: Jeff Hanisch – USA Today Sports
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