3 Bears Who Struggled in 2025 Are Primed to Rebound and Chicago Needs All of Them

A massively important thing for the Chicago Bears' 2026 season is the team not regressing from what it did last season.

And, if the Bears want to advance to the Super Bowl, they need to progress, and that's especially true for Caleb Williams, his pass-catchers, and the team's defense as a whole.

Along with all that, the Bears need some of their veterans to bounce back after disappointing showings last season.

Here's a look at three players in particular who are set for key roles and are primed to bounce back following a down season in 2025.

Braxton Jones

Jones began last year as the starter at left tackle and ended the year riding the pine. That was a result of his lackluster play that saw him give up two sacks and 15 pressures in four games.

Fast forward to 2026 and Jones is now back in the driver's seat at left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo is on the shelf for an undetermined period of time and Jones is clearly the front-runner in the left tackle competition.

On the surface, it's troubling that the Bears will be depending on someone who they benched in 2025 for a significant role, but there is reason for optimism that Jones can get back on track.

Lest we forget, Jones was very much a starting caliber left tackle before he suffered a fractured fibula in 2024. There's a chance he simply wasn't himself in his first year back from it, which wouldn't be unusual for such a serious injury.

Jones has returned to the Bears in 2026 with determination and in great shape and has turned heads on the team's coaching staff as a result. He is primed to return to his pre-injury form this coming season.

Kalif Raymond

Raymond was a fairly important cog in the Detroit Lions' elite offense for multiple seasons, with the veteran wideou posting 489 yards or more in each season from 2021 through 2023, including two years with north of 500 receiving yards.

However, Raymond's production fell off a cliff in 2024 and 2025, with Raymond posting 215 yards and 289 yards, respectively, in those two years. Injury was an excuse in 2024, but that was not the case in 2025, which also happened to be Detroit's first year post-Ben Johnson.

Now that Raymond is slated to be the No. 3 receiver in a room that lacks experience, and now that he's reunited with Johnson, who was the Lions' play-caller for his best seasons, Raymond could see a major uptick in his production in 2026.

Jaylon Johnson

The biggest problem with Jaylon Johnson's 2025 season was his inability to stay healthy. The second-biggest problem was the veteran cornerback wasn't effective when on the field.

Because of his injuries, Johnson missed all of training camp and a huge chunk of the regular season.

Over the seven regular season games he did play, Johnson gave up a completion rate of 72.7% and a passer rating of 92.2. He was moderately better in the postseason after giving a 106.2 passer rating and 62.5% completion rate.

Johnson admitted the injuries definitely took a toll on him and he just wasn't himself, both mentally and physically.

In 2026, Johnson is healthy and will enjoy a full offseason this year, which makes a huge difference for players. We have already seen glimpses of Johnson's potential for a major bounce back, as the two-time Pro Bowler has shown out during spring practices.

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