Bear Digest

ESPN's Adam Schefter reveals key to Chicago Bears' 2025 season

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shared a significant update about the Chicago Bears' main goal for the 2025 season.

Bryan Perez

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The Chicago Bears' 2025 offseason has been graded by most NFL analysts as a resounding success. How could it not be? Ben Johnson is the new head coach, and he'll be the mastermind calling plays for quarterback Caleb Williams, a generational prospect, who finally has an offensive line that can keep him upright.

Johnson and Williams also have a bevvy of new playmakers to target via the 2025 NFL Draft -- Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III will have their fair share of highlights this season.

The Bears' defense received reinforcements, too. Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett were big-ticket free agency signings, and Shemar Turner, a second-round pick, will make an impact with a significant rotational role.

But every massive offseason move the Chicago Bears made will mean nothing if Williams fails to live up to his pre-draft hype. In fact, Williams' development under Johnson's tutelage is the only thing that matters in 2025, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Pressure is on Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears in 2025

Schefter noted that the difference between the expectations around Williams, compared to his 2024 draft classmate Jayden Daniels, is night and day. The Washington Commanders are considered a Super Bowl contender with Daniels behind center, while the narrative around Williams' second season is all about developing into the quarterback the Bears think he is under Johnson's watch.

Let's face it, the only reason why there's such a large gap between the expectations for Daniels and those for Williams is because of recency bias. Daniels left an MVP-lite impression on the NFL after a phenomenal rookie season, but for as special as Daniels was last year, the Commanders are a team that could experience some regression in 2025. Eight of Washington's 12 wins were one-score games, a stat that can easily flip against them this season.

The Chicago Bears, meanwhile, were victimized by horrendous coaching decisions that directly led to several losses, including Week 8's game against the Commanders when Williams outdueled Daniels until the ridiculously flukey Fail Mary crushed the Bears' soul at the end of the game.

Sure, Williams must step up his game in 2025, and there's no reason to think he won't now that he has an elite supporting cast around him.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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