Despite a playoff run under Ben Johnson last season, the Chicago Bears' starting lineups land in the middle in league-wide rankings. Discover why a stagnant pass rush and defensive departures overshadow Caleb Williams' ascending offense.
The Chicago Bears finished the 2025 season as the No. 2 seed in the NFC, winning 11 games on the way to a division title.
Under first-year coach Ben Johnson, the Bears' offense exploded with a run game that gashed opposing defenses and a passing attack built on hunting chunk plays. A revamped offensive line combined with Johnson's scheme helped quarterback Caleb Williams make massive strides in his second season.
Chicago's defense led the NFL with 33 takeaways, which masked some of the flaws that were evident in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's unit. The Bears also lost many of the contributors on defense in free agency who accounted for 23 total takeaways.
The Bears' team that finished last season has changed for better in some areas and worse in others. But where does the Bears' starting lineups stack up to the rest of the teams in the NFL?
ESPN ranked every roster, assessing each team's starting lineup, strengths and weaknesses, X factors and a nonstarter. With all those factors considered, the Bears finished at No. 17.
That ranking seems low for a team that took the Los Angeles Rams into overtime before losing on a game-winning field goal in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. But it's also fair.
Look at the 16 teams ranked ahead of Chicago. Which of those starting lineups can you honestly say the Bears are better than?
The one team that is ranked too high is the New England Patriots at No. 7. Their starting lineup is not 10 slots better than the Bears.
Although the Patriots have added wide receivers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs and defensive linemen Harold Landry III and Dre'Mont Jones, there is not much star power on the roster.
New England had just two Pro Bowlers in Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez and two second-team All-Pros in Maye and cornerback/punt returner Marcus Jones last season. The Bears had two first-team All-Pros in Joe Thuney and Kevin Byard III, who is now in New England. Darnell Wright was named a second-team All-Pro at right tackle.
Johnson's team also finished with four Pro Bowlers: Byard, Thuney, Nahshon Wright and Drew Dalman, who retired this offseason.
Of the top 17 rosters in the NFL, only two have edge rusher labeled as their biggest weakness: the Bears and the Patriots. But New England actually addressed their flaw by adding players to the D-line. The Bears chose to stand pat, which is why the Bears fall short compared to every other team in the league.
The Bears have good players at important positions. Caleb Williams is an ascending quarterback. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are productive running backs in Johnson's scheme. ESPN recognized the Bears' O-line as the team's strength, but an argument could be made for the tight end position with Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet and Sam Roush. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III are young receivers who can easily become a deadly duo in 2026.
Chicago's safeties, featuring Coby Bryant and first-round draft pick Dillon Thieneman, provide a promising backend for the defense. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon have a high chance for a bounce back season, if the unit can stay healthy.
Devin Bush adds speed to the linebacker position and should compliment T.J. Edwards.
It's the defensive line that remains the biggest question mark and is likely the main reason Chicago's starting lineup isn't ranked higher on ESPN's list. It goes without saying that a team needs talented players to win a Super Bowl, but that isn't everything.
Football is the ultimate team game, requiring a blend of coaching and execution to reach that ultimate goal. The Bears can prove any summer list wrong by simply winning games like they did last season.
