Bear Digest

Mid-term Bears report card reflects upward trend and lurking danger

Ben Johnson's team flashed brilliance and avoided many disasters since Week 2, although their mid-term positional grades reveal where problems exist.
Gene Chamberlain|
Not everyone is pleased with the progress of the Bears in a 5-3 start, but Colston Loveland's recent surge is a positive.
Not everyone is pleased with the progress of the Bears in a 5-3 start, but Colston Loveland's recent surge is a positive. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

In bygone NFL days or pre-pandemic, eight games constituted a midpoint.

The halfway point in this Bears season really occurs at halftime Sunday. At that point, everyone will be either too upset that the Bears haven’t taken the Giants and Jaxson Dart seriously or worried their defense will give away another lead, requiring Caleb Williams to do something miraculous once again.

So, Week 10, just before the ninth game gives us a place to slice open the 2025 Bears and look at what they're made of, or, in other words, give out the midseason grades.

Winning five of their last six games, and doing it the way they did last week against Las Vegas or earlier against Washington, shows Ben Johnson's team has made the transition from one unsure how to win games to one capable of going toe-to-toe with almost anyone.

"It's just the awareness that we have opportunities right now, and we have the play-makers to come back, we're never out of it," Johnson said. "I wasn't here (last year), so I can't say what a difference was, but I think that those guys understood that there's a certain narrative out there about them and they wanted to change that narrative.

"It's a prideful bunch, I've been saying that all year long. I think that when you're aware of something, you can look to change that. So far, up to this point, they've done that."

Here's a look at who did it best and how far they all need to go:

Quarterbacks: B-

The sticking point with Williams remains accuracy, both from his 61.5% completion percentage and placement of the football. It’s clear he needs to address footwork when throwing. His 6.2 yards after completion are 1.1 yards better than last year, but still needs to climb. Williams' required 3.24 seconds to throw is an atrocious time. It's the slowest in the NFL. It could begin to drop as he gets more familiar operating this offense during the season's second half. Overall, Williams has improved gradually and has a long way to go, even with the simplest things. The role of the backup QBs has been Tyson Bagent on a throwback pass, and that's the way to keep it.

Running Backs: B+

They'd rate an A if not for the expected slow start. Only their health has been a drawback. Before his groin injury, D'Andre Swift had made everyone forget Johnson once demoted him to the backup role in Detroit as he ran with good speed and broke long runs. It's still somewhat true, but a career-best 1.9 yards after contact per rush says Eric Bieniemy's coaching has helped and a solid 2.8 yards before contact explains why he's been able to average 4.6 per carry, the same as his rookie year in Detroit and in 2023 at Philadelphia. The advanced stats say Kyle Monangai averages a healthy 2.5 yards after contact but he runs so hard it seems like more. Expect a much larger dose of Monangai going forward now that he has gained coaches' trust as a pass blocker and receiver in addition to running hard. Roschon Johnson has largely been unavailable due to injury, again.

Wide Receiver: B

Drops by Rome Odunze, the lack of targets for DJ Moore and Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland's slow start have been obstacles they've overcome. They also haven't adjusted quickly to Williams' off-platform game. The explosive potential of this group has barely been touched, but it has been teased enough for everyone to know it's there. More big plays from Odunze, Loveland, Burden and Olamide Zaccheaus are needed, along with a few more downfield catches by DJ Moore. They seem to get away from Cole Kmet's strength in the red zone, as well. Maybe it's just the result of too many possible targets or they need more work within the attack with Williams than a mere eight games. So much more can be done if the QB gives them a chance within the structure of the offense.

Offensive Line: A-

Much was expected and much delivered. The only real flaw consistently apparent is Theo Benedet's pass blocking at left tackle. Still, this position has been more consistent at preventing pressure than when Braxton Jones was there earlier this season and the run blocking by every one of the linemen has been outstanding. They paid a big price for Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman and all three are delivering as run blockers. All of them except Thuney can stand to improve as pass blockers. Darnell Wright's dominance over the last few games reflects the type of player they thought he would be and has been at Pro Bowl level.

Defensive Line: C+

First, it was apparent they needed to get accustomed to a switch in the technique required at battling blockers up front in this scheme. They eventually did this, but then injuries took a toll. Montez Sweat has begun to assert himself but you wonder how he'll be able to avoid double teams after season-ending injuries claimed Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner, and with Dominique Robinson still out. Much depends on the infusion from a healthier Grady Jarrett, Austin Booker's return from IR and a rapid contribution from acquisition Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Their ability to stop the run had improved before the injuries but will now be in question because Turner and Odeyingbo were more stout than the other edges they have left. So much could be solved if Gervon Dexter became the all-purpose player they think he can be, instead of only a strong pass rusher on the interior like he was in the first half.

Linebackers: B

Tremaine Edmunds is showing that the past coaching regime probably made a mistake putting him at middle linebacker and so far away from the action in a zone-based scheme. Playing him both at middle and weakside in a man-to-man scheme has made his great athleticism more apparent down to down. His play has been the most consistent of anyone on the entire defense at any position. T.J. Edwards also adapted well to this system, but his inability to avoid hamstring injuries is troubling. And now he has a fractured hand. None of the other linebackers made an impact, although Noah Sewell at least showed he can fill a role as strongside in the base defense. That's more than he had done to date.

Defensive Backs: C-

If not for their ability to produce the most interceptions in the league (13), they'd be one of the worst secondaries. It's high-risk, high-reward from this group. Consistency, just like better health, is needed. They've given up the second-most touchdown passes (20) and have gone from one of the top secondaries in passer rating against to 23rd at 100.7. They also give up 70.95% completions, and only three teams are worse. Yet, they're No. 5 in third-down conversion rate allowed (34.2%). Tyrique Stevenson's improvement is obvious, and they need him healthy. Not having Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson has been a burden for this group, but they'll need to grin and bear it for now.

Special Teams: C-

Devin Duvernay's kick (25.2 yards per return) and punt returns (10.8 ypr) have been consistent, though not spectacular. He hasn't had many big returns, and on those when he did the penalty flag flew. There was far too much of this from the blocking teams, and neither the kick nor punt coverage units have done much to help with field position. Injuries took a toll here with key special teams players like Amen Ogbongbemiga, Travis Homer, Roschon Johnson, and Josh Blackwell missing time. Punter Tory Taylor has shown greater leg strength this season, but doesn't get called on to put it inside the 20 as much with Ben Johnson more willing to gamble on fourth down and with the offense more efficient. Cairo Santos has missed a kick he should have made, had one blocked, suffered an injury, and had two issues with kicking it the wrong place—one last week when he put the opening kickoff where it shouldn't have been to set up a TD return. He's going to need to step up the way backup Jake Moody did.

Coaching: A

Johnson's tactical approach and game planning were known quantities, but his ability to lead an entire team was not anticipated. He's gone far beyond the wildest expectations while he implanted his persona on this group as its leader. Dennis Allen's defensive scheme carried the team, especially when the lack of pass-rush pressure and injuries hurt them early. The work of running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, offensive line coach Joe Roushar, receivers coach Antwaan Randle El and DB coach Al Harris has been apparent through player improvement dating back to training camp. When the same or similar special teams errors keep popping up, coaching has to be regarded as an issue.

Personnel: C

Offensive line acquisitions all paid off quickly, but they should because this is Ryan Poles' area of expertise. His ability to come up with a kicker when Santos was out was a plus. The lack of a trade for a proven pass rusher or major contributions from rookies until midseason weighs against Poles' efforts. The surge by Monangai as a seventh-rounder, Loveland's last three games and potential Burden flashed all say Poles' draft might come out of this looking better by season's end.

Overall: B-

The blown game against the Vikings in the opener looms large. A 6-2 record at this point, with a key win over a divisional rival in their back pocket, would have silenced questions about their ability to be playoff contenders. That's OK because the real strength of this group so far has been its resourcefulness and ability to surprise. The second-half schedule toughens considerably, and those qualities can always prove useful against better competition. Time on task will need to address their remaining issues, because obvious talent flaws with this group can't be fixed until next year.

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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.