WCG’s lead draft analyst looks into five Bears players heading into crucial 2025 campaigns.
With a new coaching staff in place and several new contributors in the fold, the Bears are a different team from how they looked in 2024.
Whether or not that results in wins remains to be seen. Regardless, such a broad change across the organization certainly shakes up the status quo.
There are various reasons a player can enter a season with a little extra to prove. Impending contract extensions, easy ways out of their contract or a lackluster start to one’s career could all be valid reasons to dub this upcoming year as a “make-or-break” campaign for a specific player.
We’ll take a look at five players on the Bears this might apply to. An honorable mention goes to Braxton Jones, who is slated to hit free agency after the 2025 season. I didn’t include him since it feels likely he’ll get a large contract; it’s just a matter of whether or not that deal comes from Chicago.
D’Andre Swift
Rumors ran rampant about the Bears potentially trading up to draft Ashton Jeanty, who ended up going No. 6 overall to the Raiders. A recent report indicated Chicago was open to moving up a spot to secure TreVeyon Henderson in Round 2, who landed with the Patriots one spot before the Bears selected Luther Burden III.
All this to say: the Bears didn’t end up selecting a running back until Round 7 of the 2026 NFL Draft, but they’re clearly looking to upgrade from D’Andre Swift. The incumbent starter was used mostly as a rotational back when he overlapped with Ben Johnson in Detroit.
Swift is coming off of a career-low 3.8 yards per carry in 2024, and the Bears would save $7.5 million by releasing him next offseason. If he doesn’t bounce back in a big way, he could be as good as gone in 2026.
Tremaine Edmunds
PFF is hardly the end-all, be-all in terms of player evaluation, but it’s absolutely a helpful tool. Its grades certainly don’t paint a pretty picture regarding Tremaine Edmunds’ tenure with the Bears.
In his final season with the Bills, Edmunds finished with an 81.9 player grade, making him one of the most efficient off-ball linebackers in the league. In his two seasons since joining the Bears, though, he has graded beneath 60.0 both years. Considering 60.0 is the baseline starting grade for all players, that indicates he has been an outright liability for Chicago’s defense.
Inconsistencies in coverage, limited pass-rushing value and lackluster processing are all major issues for a player entering his eighth year in the NFL. The Bears would save $15 million by releasing him next offseason, which feels like a foregone conclusion unless he somehow bounces back to his Pro Bowl-caliber play.
Cole Kmet
Cole Kmet is coming off of a down year of production in 2024, though a lot of it admittedly came down to poor offensive play-calling by the Bears’ former coaching staff. That said, his path back to high levels of production took a hit when the team selected Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick.
Rookie tight ends historically take a little longer to adjust to the NFL, no matter what Brock Bowers might make you think. Kmet seems likely to kick off 2025 as Chicago’s primary tight end. However, Loveland’s superior athleticism and route-running ability makes him a better fit for Ben Johnson, who saw tremendous success in Detroit utilizing a tight end with a similar playing style in Sam LaPorta.
Kmet is still under contract for another two years after 2025, so the Bears might not rush to move off him like they could with the aforementioned other two players. If they find themselves strapped for cap space next offseason, though, they could free up $8.4 million by cutting Kmet and letting Loveland take the reins.
Tyrique Stevenson
After a strong second half of his rookie year, things were looking up for Tyrique Stevenson heading into 2024. As soon as the Hail Mary incident took place, though, things began quickly falling apart.
Stevenson was naturally targeted heavily playing opposite Jaylon Johnson along the Bears’ perimeter, and he didn’t respond with strong play. He graded below-average with a 58.9 PFF grade, ranking him 83rd among 116 qualified cornerbacks. He dropped from four interceptions in 2023 to two in 2024, as well.
Being on a rookie contract, the financials aren’t as much of an issue with Stevenson. In theory, a more press-heavy system under Dennis Allen should be beneficial for the physical, young cornerback. With Terell Smith and Zah Frazier waiting in the wings and having similar playing styles, though, the Bears could look elsewhere for their starting lineup if Stevenson doesn’t bounce back in 2025.
Jaquan Brisker
In his three seasons with the Bears, Jaquan Brisker has been a capable starting safety with an unparalleled motor. The concern with him doesn’t revolve as much around his play as it does his long-term health.
Brisker unfortunately suffered a concussion in Week 5 of the 2024 season, and he didn’t play for the remainder of the year. He has missed games due to concussions in each of his three years in the NFL, and considering how much time he missed last year, it reaches a certain point where his well-being needs to enter the conversation.
By all accounts, Brisker should be good to go in 2025, but he’s slated to hit free agency after this year. The Bears don’t have any safeties under contract past this season, which plays in Brisker’s favor. However, his history of concussions could hurt his ability to land a long-term deal after his rookie contract expires. If he can’t stay healthy this season, it would only further put his future into question.