As a lead-up to the 2025 NFL draft, we've broken down the current depth chart of every NFL team and identified the biggest draft and team needs for the Chicago Bears.
You can find additional team-by-team draft needs articles and other draft content on our 2025 NFL Draft Hub.
Chicago Bears Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2025
- Edge Rusher
- Offensive Tackle
- Running Back
What Picks Do the Chicago Bears Have in 2025?
The Chicago Bears have 7 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, including:
- Round 1 (10)
- Round 2 (39)
- Round 2 (41)
- Round 3 (72)
- Round 5 (148)
- Round 7 (233)
- Round 7 (240)
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Chicago Bears 2025 Draft Capital Stats
The Bears have the 12th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.
Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.
Chicago Bears Draft Value vs. Other Teams:
The Bears’ draft value is 12% higher than the league average of all 32 teams.
Chicago Bears Draft Prediction:
Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Bears to draft:
- Brendan Donahue's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
- Ryan McCrystal's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #8 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
Chicago Bears Strength of Schedule, 2025
The Chicago Bears have the 26th-easiest NFL strength of schedule for the 2025 NFL season.
Chicago Bears Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Chicago Bears, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Depth Chart, Bears:
- Caleb Williams
- Case Keenum
- Tyson Bagent
- Austin Reed
Selecting Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick last season, paired with an aggressive offseason, gave the Bears heightened expectations of being a team that jumped into contention.
The brakes were tapped as Williams and this offense never came together.
In his first NFL season, Williams completed 62.5% of his passes (31st) for 6.3 yards per pass attempt (33rd).
The only passers with fewer yards per attempt who qualified for the league’s passer rating last season were Bryce Young, Daniel Jones, and Cooper Rush.
15.3% of his throws were inaccurate, ahead of only Mac Jones and Anthony Richardson.
Downfield passing was a hangup in his rookie season.
Williams only completed 27.5% of his passes on throws 20 or more yards downfield (31st) and 35.8% of his passes of his attempts 10 or more yards downfield (34th) despite being above the league average in rate of those attempts.
He was 15th in attempts over 10 or more yards (33.3%) and seventh in rate of throws 20 or more yards downfield (14.2%).
Williams ended the year 30th in EPA per dropback (-0.05).
As a rookie, he lost -108.5 EPA to sacks, the second-worst total for any quarterback in a season in the 2000s.
The offensive did not do Williams any favors, but he was sacked on 31.6% of his pressures.
That was the second-highest rate in the league, ahead of only Will Levis.
The league average was 20.7%.
Williams was credited with 18.7% of his pressures being self-induced, while he took a league-high 17 sacks that were credited as his fault.
Williams and Chicago are overhauling this offense in an attempt to clean up those issues from his rookie season.
The Bears fired their head coach and offensive coordinator during Williams’ rookie season.
This year, they made the most significant splash during the hiring cycle, pulling Ben Johnson away from the Lions.
I don’t believe we will see Johnson attempt to turn Williams into Jared Goff.
Instead, he will calibrate his offense around what Williams does best.
While Williams has consistently had issues with pressure and taking negative plays going back to college, the team did still improve their interior offensive line this offseason, which added support to insulating that part of Williams’ game.
Behind Williams, Case Keenum, Tyson Bagent and Austin Reed are signed for this upcoming season.
The team has restricted rights on Bagent next offseason and exclusive rights on Reed.
Running Back Depth Chart, Bears:
- D’Andre Swift
- Roschon Johnson
- Travis Homer
- Ian Wheeler
The Chicago running backs were dead last in the NFL with 3.5 yards per rush.
They ranked 31st in the rate of runs that gained 10 or more yards (5.5%), and 18.5% of their runs failed to gain yardage (23rd).
You can point to the offensive line as being a thorn in Chicago's lack of output.
Chicago's backs averaged 1.18 yards before contact per rush (23rd), but that can’t be a top-down excuse, as their running backs also were dead last in the league in yards after contact per rush (2.36).
Despite the lack of efficiency, D’Andre Swift accrued production in his first season with the team.
Swift handled 295 touches for 1,345 yards and 6 touchdowns.
His 3.8 yards per carry were a career low, and he was 45th out of 46 running backs in rate of rushing attempts per missed tackle.
Despite the lack of tackle-breaking and efficiency as a runner, Swift remained an asset in the passing game.
Swift had a career-high 9.2 yards per catch, catching 42 passes out of the backfield.
Ben Johnson and Swift are no strangers.
Johnson was with Detroit for the first three years of Swift’s career and was the play-caller in 2022.
There are several signs here that Chicago will look to add a running back.
Not only was Swift lackluster as a rusher last season, but when Johnson took over as play-caller for Detroit during Swift’s final season with the team, he had his fewest rushing attempts per game (7.1).
The good news is that he averaged a career-high 6.3 yards per touch that season.
Johnson’s Detroit offenses featured two backs even before the David Montgomery–Jahmyr Gibbs duo, so it would not be surprising to see Chicago add a back in this draft.
Even if they do not play things aggressively at No. 10 overall, this class has no shortage of early-down options to come in and compete with Roschon Johnson for that role.
Johnson has averaged 3.7 yards per carry through two seasons and 4.4 yards per touch.
He was relegated to a short-yardage role last year.
Wide Receiver Depth Chart, Bears:
- D.J. Moore
- Rome Odunze
- Olamide Zaccheaus
- Devin Duvernay
- Tyler Scott
- Maurice Alexander
- Samori Toure
- John Jackson
- Miles Boykin
D.J. Moore caught a career-high 98 passes last season but fell just short of 1,000 yards (966) as he averaged a career low 9.9 yards per catch.
Only 30.7% of his targets resulted in a first down or touchdown, the lowest rate of his career.
His 1.45 yards per route and 7.5 air yards per target were the lowest rates of his career.
After having over 40% of his team’s air yards in three straight seasons, Moore only had 25.2% last year.
This was the first time that Moore shared targets with multiple viable receivers, but his role in the Shane Waldron/Thomas Brown offense was primarily tied to the line of scrimmage.
23.6% of his targets were on screens, which is by far the highest rate of his career (his previous high was 14%).
Only 14.3% of Moore’s targets were 20 or more yards downfield, his lowest rate since 2021.
Moore is under contract through 2029 and will only turn 28 this April.
The addition of Ben Johnson should be positive in betting on Moore rebounding.
With Keenan Allen no longer on the roster, it will be interesting to see if Johnson can fold some of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s usage into Moore.
Moore is a more explosive player downfield than St. Brown and can create after the catch.
Since entering the league in 2020, Moore’s 5.1 yards after the catch are seventh among receivers with 300 or more receptions.
Moore has never hit a 30% slot rate in any NFL season, something Johnson can tap into since he used St. Brown as a 50/50 player inside and outside.
Chicago selected Rome Odunze ninth overall last season.
He caught 54 of 101 targets for 734 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Playing alongside two veteran target earners in a poor system that led to multiple firings with a quarterback struggling with accuracy, Odunze was largely lost in the offense as a rookie.
He was pigeon-holed as a field stretcher with marginal nuance on the shorter to intermediate levels.
Odunze averaged 13.8 air yards per target.
Calvin Ridley was the only receiver with a higher number on as many targets.
23.1% of Odunze’s targets came on throws 20 or more yards downfield.
Only DK Metcalf, Ridley, and George Pickens had a higher rate with as many targets as Odunze.
Paired with the issues we laid out earlier with Williams throwing down the field, 26.7% of Odunze’s targets were inaccurate throws, the highest rate for a player with that many targets.
All of the changes in this offense allow Odunze to have a more fleshed-out role in his second season.
The absence of Allen should push him into a higher target bracket as well.
Even though the Bears have invested in Moore and Odunze, the depth here is not particularly exciting.
Chicago should be looking to add competition and contractual depth here on Day 2 and Day 3.
The team added Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency, who is coming off a career-high 45 receptions with Washington but has never seen more than 64 targets through six NFL seasons.
Tight End Depth Chart, Bears:
- Cole Kmet
- Durham Smythe
- Stephen Carlson
- Jordan Murray
- Joel Wilson
Tight ends were an afterthought in the Bears offense last season.
Chicago targeted tight ends 13.1% of the time, which was 30th in the league.
Cole Kmet only had 55 targets last season after receiving 90 targets the year before.
Kmet ended the season averaging 2.8 catches for 27.9 yards per game, his worst numbers since his rookie season.
He averaged only 16.8 yards per game over the final 11 weeks of the season.
Kmet is still only 26 and under contract through 2027.
He is the only Chicago tight end signed beyond 2025.
Offensive Line Depth Chart, Bears:
LT: Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadjie
LG: Joe Thuney, Bill Murray, Jordan McFadden
C: Drew Dalman, Doug Kramer, Chris Glaser
RG: Jonah Jackson, Ryan Bates, Ricky Stromberg
RT: Darnell Wright, Joshua Miles, Theo Benedet
The Chicago offensive line fared much better in metrics and grades than most would assume.
They ended the season 15th in ESPN’s pass block win rate (60%) and 8th in run block win rate (73%).
At Pro Football Focus, they were 8th in team pass blocking grade and 15th in run blocking grade.
We talked about how Caleb Williams contributed to their high sack allowed and how the running backs did little after contact last season, which masked some of the perception that they were one of the worst units in the league.
That said, this unit had plenty of issues keeping everyone on the field and had plenty of room for improvement in specific areas.
Their most-used offensive line combination last season played together for only 34.9% of the snaps, which was 20th in the league.
Coleman Shelton was the only lineman to play in all 17 games.
He is no longer on the roster.
Braxton Jones missed five games.
Seven players played snaps at left guard for them last season, and three played right guard.
Chicago aggressively overhauled the interior of this offensive line this offseason by trading for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson before signing Drew Dalman in free agency.
Thuney was an All-Pro last season with the Chiefs.
Kansas City was even forced to move him to left tackle for 389 snaps.
Thuney will be 33 this November and is only signed for 2025.
Jackson was with Ben Johnson in Detroit before joining the Rams last season.
2024 was a lost season for Jackson, appearing in only four games due to injury.
Jackson has not played a full season since 2021 and has missed multiple games in each of the past three seasons.
Dalman is the biggest add, and he excels as a zone-run blocker.
Atlanta was the only team to run more zone-based runs than Detroit last season, where Johnson comes from.
Dalman has been a top-five center in overall grade per Pro Football Focus in the past two seasons.
The only bugaboo is that he has missed 11 games over the past two seasons.
Chicago may have to make contingency plans here with their depth, considering the contracts and missed time for their new guards, but the starting unit for 2025 is in place entering the draft.
Braxton Jones is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
The team selected Kiran Amegadjie in the third round last season as a potential preemptive move if they were to lose Jones, but he allowed a team-high 11.9% pressure rate in his first career sample, filling in as a rookie last season.
Chicago Bears Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Chicago Bears, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Defensive Line Depth Chart, Bears:
- Grady Jarrett
- Gervon Dexter Sr.
- Andrew Billings
- Chris Williams
- Zacch Pickens
- Jonathan Ford
The Bears struggled against the run in 2024, allowing 4.9 yards per carry on running back runs (31st).
They ranked 26th in yards before contact allowed on those carries (1.6), 39th in yards after contact allowed (3.3), and 29th in rushing touchdowns allowed to running backs (18).
Grady Jarrett was the main addition here after the Falcons cut him in March.
Jarrett has two Pro Bowls on his resume, but he is not the same player he once was.
He has 4 total sacks over the last two seasons with an 8.1% pressure rate, but he did log 13 run stuffs a season ago, ranking ninth among qualified defensive linemen.
Gervon Dexter is the top returner after playing 617 snaps across 15 games last season.
He was a solid contributor as a pass rusher, getting 5 sacks with an 11.5% pressure rate.
Both players should fit well with new DC Dennis Allen.
Andrew Billings should remain a big part of the rotation.
He was limited to just eight games in 2024 and has not consistently converted his pressure into sacks thus far with the Bears, but he does have a decent 9.4% pressure rate over the last two seasons.
Run defense could continue to be a concern with this top three, but the Bears are likely set here after adding Jarrett.
That said, he is older, and Billings is scheduled to be a free agent in 2026.
EDGE Depth Chart, Bears:
- Montez Sweat
- Dayo Odeyingbo
- Austin Booker
- Daniel Hardy
- Dominique Robinson
- Jamree Kromah
The Bears ranked eighth in pressure rate last season (36.8%) but finished 16th with 40 sacks.
Montez Sweat led the team with just 5.5 sacks, but his 14.4% pressure rate suggests he should have had more production.
That rate ranked 18th among all qualified pass rushers.
Sweat has a 14.1% pressure rate over his 25 games with the Bears.
Jake Martin and Darrell Taylor also had good pressure rates without logging a lot of sacks, but both are gone.
DeMarcus Walker is also out the door.
Dayo Odeyingbo was added in free agency to play that role opposite Sweat.
Odeyingbo did not have a ton of production over his rookie contract with the Colts, logging 16.5 sacks over 61 career games.
His 10% pressure rate last season was the best of his career, and his 8 sacks in 2023 are his highest total thus far.
The Bears will need to get more from him to validate his contract, but at least he showed his best last season.
Even if Odeyingbo keeps that upward progression, the Bears need more depth here.
Linebacker Depth Chart, Bears:
- T.J. Edwards
- Tremaine Edmunds
- Amen Ogbongbemiga
- Noah Sewell
- Carl Jones
- Swayze Bozeman
This unit is set after T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds combined for 2,111 snaps last season, but Edwards was not at his best.
After logging 19 run stuffs and getting a tackle on 20% of his run defense snaps in his first season with the Bears, Edwards had 13 stuffs and a 14.1% tackle rate in 2024.
He was also 67th among 98 qualified linebackers in quarterback rating allowed in coverage.
Edwards did pop up for 4 sacks, and it is fair to expect a bounce back season for a player still in the prime of his career.
There is not a ton of experience behind the top two, but the Bears brought back Amen Ogbongbemiga and have 2023 fifth-round pick Noah Sewell.
That should be enough given the two snap hogs at the top of the depth chart.
Cornerback Depth Chart, Bears:
- Jaylon Johnson
- Tyrique Stevenson
- Kyler Gordon
- Terell Smith
- Josh Blackwell
- Ameer Speed
- Nick McCloud
- Shaun Wade
The Bears allowed 7.9 yards per pass attempt in 2024 (30th), but they finished third overall in EPA allowed per pass because they allowed just 17 passing touchdowns, the fewest in the league.
Even so, that YPA number, along with allowing a pass of 20 or more yards on 10.5% of the attempts against them (31st), is indicative of a pass defense that struggled.
The switch to new DC Dennis Allen should mean some changes to what Chicago’s corners are asked to do.
From 2020-2024, the Saints played man coverage at the fifth-highest rate in the league.
Of course, that was still only 32.4% of opponent pass plays, but that is considerably higher than the 15.7% rate from the Bears last season.
It will be interesting to see how the corner group adjusts to that change, though the top three is very likely to remain the same.
Despite getting invited to the Pro Bowl, Jaylon Johnson took a step back last season, allowing a massive 9.2 yards per target after a 4.8 number in 2023.
He will need to be back at his best for this secondary to return to form.
A 2023 second-round pick, Tyrique Stevenson also slumped as a sophomore, finishing 114th among qualified cornerbacks in yards allowed per coverage snap.
Slot corner Kyler Gordon was heading into a contract year, but he was rewarded with a three-year, $40 million extension in April.
That deal puts the entire starting group under contract through at least the 2026 season.
The Bears are set here, but there are more questions than expected given what we thought of this group heading into last season.
Safety Depth Chart, Bears:
- Jaquan Brisker
- Kevin Byard III
- Elijah Hicks
- Jonathan Owens
- Tavarius Moore
- Alex Cook
The Bears appear set at safety for 2025.
Kevin Byard is back after a solid season in which he played well against the run and ranked 39th in yards allowed per coverage snap among qualified safeties.
Jaquan Brisker is reportedly healthy after missing most of the season due to a concussion, though that obviously raises some long-term concerns about his availability.
There are also some contract questions both both starters heading into the final year of their contracts.
With two quality starters and good depth in Elijah Hicks and Jonathan Owens, the Bears are in a good spot for 2025, but they do need Brisker to stay healthy and to figure out the contract situation for the starters.
Those questions make this unit a bigger need than it might appear on the surface.