Bear Digest

Chicago Bears risk management could be more like a leap of faith

Analysis: Ryan Poles' reboot of the Bears under Ben Johnson requires some leaps of faith because many of the moves made involved risk due to lack of ideal alternatives.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams is at the center of some of the gambles the Bears are taking for the 2025 season.
Caleb Williams is at the center of some of the gambles the Bears are taking for the 2025 season. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

With three weeks to go until the Bears report for training camp, it's too late to change the path taken.

In some cases, they wouldn't want to anyway.

Where Bears GM Ryan Poles has taken the team with this reboot is now deep down the pathway to destiny.

It's too late for last-minute cold feet. They're also past the point in the ceremony where someone says "speak now or forever hold your peace."

One offseason provided sufficient time to make necessary changes, but in some cases they simply had to go with what they have for assorted reasons.

In other words, they took risks because not every necessary move offered ideal options.

Here are the biggest risks supporting the 2025 Chicago Bears, for better or worse.

Well-guarded secret

They needed to replace Teven Jenkins at guard after he was allowed to leave in free agency largely due to missing 23 games in four seasons with injuries. They bring in Jonah Jackson, who has missed 23 games in the last four seasons.

If that's not enough, the top backup guard is Ryan Bates, who had to have stem cell surgery to repair a shoulder injury last year. Beyond those two there's Bill Murray and his 46 snaps of NFL experience.

It's a rather flimsy house of guard cards, considering how the offensive line has had to switch starting lineups 30 times in three years.

This one has the potential for a Wyle E. Coyote ending written all over it.

Safety tilt

They have a safety starting in Kevin Byard who turns 32 on Aug. 17. Harrison Smith, who is 36, and Tyrann Mathieu, who is 33, are the only older starting safeties in the league. Only five NFL starters at this position are in their 30s.

The Bears have another starting safety in Jaquan Brisker who just missed 12 straight games due to his third concussion in three NFL seasons. There are experienced backups but no one people would line up for to sign in free agency.

Fingers are definitely crossed here for everyone.

Back together

They've built an offense based on the play-action passing game, which requires a strong running game.

So for the starting back they have D'Andre Swift who was bounced out of his starting position by Johnson in Detroit.

If there was more certainty here behind Swift it would be an easy gamble to accept because Swift has had some success in the past, but the only other backs they have who have played in the NFL have combined for only 226 carries over eight seasons, and the three others include two undrafted rookies and a seventh-round rookie draft pick.

Johnson better be comfortable with Swift. That's all he's got.

Edge of darkness

They paid $48 million for three years to bring in defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, who has 62 pressures and 16 1/2 sacks in four NFL seasons. He replaces veteran DeMarcus Walker, who had 15 1/2 sacks and 86 pressures in his last four seasons.

They did it because Odeyingbo is a stout run stopper and a pass rusher perceived to be on the rise.

Is perception reality?

Defensive detour

Poles spent three years helping construct a defense heavily based on zone coverage by bringing personnel ideally suited for this type of play.

Then, they hired Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator, who in recent years played about twice as much man-to-man coverage as the Bears played in their defense during the past three years. Can the talent suit the scheme? It's kind of late to worry about it now.

Caleb curators

The coaches took over the Caleb Williams project from a coaching staff that had no experience developing young quarterbacks.

Yet, in quarterbacks coach T.J. Barrett, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and Johnson himself they have no experience developing a young quarterback. They do have passing game coordinator who has done this in the past in Press Taylor. His experience was developing Carson Wentz and Trevor Lawrence.

Ultimate gambit

The head coach himself has no head coaching experience, three years as an offensive coordinator and built his reputation as a creative genius and play caller with an offense supported by possibly the best offensive line in football.

And now he's with a team that had the 24th-ranked offensive line last year, according to Pro Football Focus, and the changes made to fortify it are not certainties.

Match made in ...

Johnson's offense has been run by a pocket passer with experience under center. Instead, the fortunes rest on the right arm of a mobile gambler who has played most of his college and pro career in shotgun and seemed to be set back more by his last coaches than helped.

Oh yeah, this all looks like a sure thing.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.