Steve Smith Sees Another Division Title for Bears, But He's Only Half Right

Despite a breakout season in 2025, the Chicago Bears offense left a lot of meat on the bone. They struggled early, and especially in the middle of the season, leading head coach Ben Johnson to call out Caleb Williams and the passing game after an ugly win over the Philadelphia Eagles. However, four-time All-Pro receiver Steve Smith is a big fan of the Bears' receiver room and thinks that they have the juice to defend their division title, but in this he's only half right.

Carolina Panthers former receiver Steve Smith Sr at the Super Bowl LX media center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Steve Smith sees second straight NFC North title for the Bears, thanks to the juice in their receiver room

If anyone knows what a good passing game looks like, it's four-time All-Pro receiver Steve Smith. By the end of his 16-year career, Smith finished with the eighth most receiving yards of all time, more than Hall of Famers Marvin Harrison Sr. and Andre Johnson. This week, while speaking on his 89 podcast with co-host and NFL insider James Palmer, Smith sang the praises of Chicago's receiver room.

"This wide receiver room is hitting every level of the field, and they have one of the best masterminds [head coach Ben Johnson] that you can do," Smith said. "You done gave the cook a sous chef, a pastry chef, a Michelin star restaurant, and it's on Broadway. You gonna be cooking with gas... and making some people on defense question themselves."

But Smith didn't stop there. When projecting the Bears' 2026 season, he said, "The part that everyone is concerned about is when is the passing game going to consistently show up like the run game. And if it can show up consistently like the run game, we might be looking at the division winners right here."

Caleb Williams' top target is likely to be his second-year tight end, not a receiver

But Smith forgot about one important detail when it comes to Chicago's passing game, and that is second-year tight end Colston Loveland. Loveland finished his rookie year on a heater, even setting an NFL record in the Bears' Divisional round loss to the Rams. He had double-digit targets in each of his last four games, including the playoffs, and proved to be a legit weapon, forcing me to eat crow less than one year after calling him the wrong pick for the Bears.

I agree with Smith wholeheartedly in his overall assessment of Chicago's situation on offense. They do have a run game that has proven to show up consistently, even setting a franchise milestone not seen since Walter Payton in their Black Friday win over the Eagles. Receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III both appear to be on the cusp of superstardom, and are locked in a battle to determine the Bears' WR1 on the depth chart for 2026.

That said, none of these other guys are the kind of mismatch nightmare that Colston Loveland is. He's too fast for linebackers, too strong for defensive backs, can run routes like receivers and carry the rock like a running back. By the end of the year, he was clearly Williams and Johnson's favorite target, and the proof is in his usage.

The Bears' run game will continue to be a force on the ground in 2026, and we could see both Odunze and Burden surpass 1,000 receiving yards, but the unquestioned leader of the passing game is going to be Loveland. And if the Bears do repeat as NFC North champions, Loveland will be due a large portion of the credit.

The Bottom Line

Of course, none of what I just said will matter at all if Caleb Williams does not make the necessary progressions in his game next year. His breakout season in 2025 was exciting, and his inclusion in the NFL Top 100 list is proof that his star is rising, but he's still not quite living up to his generational billing. If he plateaus at his current level, he'll still be a good quarterback and the Bears a good team, but they won't take that next step towards their ultimate goal of a Super Bowl.

But there's still no football being played yet. All Bears fans can do in the meantime is hope that Williams does indeed continue his development. And if he does, and if Steve Smith's assessment of Chicago's receiver room proves prescient, then we could be in for one of the greatest seasons in franchise history.

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