Bear Digest

Bears’ youth movement outpaced as the average NFL team gets younger

But how much does average roster age matter?
Kirsten Tanis|
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson talks with tight end (84) Colston Loveland.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson talks with tight end (84) Colston Loveland. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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When the Chicago Bears finalized their 53-man roster last fall, they had the 8th-youngest roster.  The average age of Bears players was 26.12 years, under the league average of 26.66 years, per The 33rd Team.  Bears starters were slightly older, averaging 26.83 years.


Heading into 2025, the average age of Bears projected starters is over a full year younger at 25.55 years, per Anthony Cardenas of sportscasting.com.  Yet, that's almost exactly at the NFL average for 2025 projected starters of 25.59 years. It means Bears starters now rank as the 16th-youngest roster.  (As Week 1 rosters are finalized, these numbers may shift slightly.) 

Chicago Bears projected starters rank at the median for average age in the NFL
Chicago Bears projected starters rank at the median for average age in the NFL | Per Anthony Cardenas, Sports Editor of sportscasting.com

Bears Offense: Younger & More Dynamic

This sizeable year-over-year drop in average roster age is led by the Bears offense averaging just 25.51 years, which ranks 2nd youngest in the NFL for Head Coach Ben Johnson in his 1st year as play caller. 

Even with three veteran free agent signings to revamp the Bears' interior offensive line, the Bears' average age on Offense dropped considerably. In Cardenas' projections, it appears he accounted for two new powerful weapons as starters for the 2025 Chicago Bears:

1. First-Round Draft Pick TE Colston Loveland

Michigan tight end Colston Loveland makes a catch against Washington during the second half of U-M's 34-13 win in the College
Former Michigan TE and Chicago Bears First-Round Draft Pick Colston Loveland makes a catch during the College Football Playoff national championship game. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK


Cardenas believes that first-round pick Colston Loveland, who just turned 21 in April, will supplant Cole Kmet as the starting tight end.  While this might not happen by Week 1 ─ given Loveland’s injury recovery has limited his off-season workouts ─ there’s a widely-held belief that Loveland’s superior route running and separation ability will earn more targets than Kmet as the season progresses.

2. Second-Round Draft Pick WR Luther Burden III

Former Mizzou standout and Chicago Bears 2nd Round Draft pick Luther Burden III makes a reception against the Mississippi Sta
Former Mizzou standout and Chicago Bears Second-Round Draft pick Luther Burden III makes a reception against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. | Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Burden, who will turn 22 in November, is taking over the starting WR position previously occupied by Keenan Allen, who at 32 was one of the oldest Bears on the 2024 roster.  This presumes a healthy Burden in training camp can catch up from his missed on-field reps during OTAs due to injury.

Bears Defense: A Strength Further Seasoned

As the Bears' offense is getting younger, the Bears' Defense is older than the NFL average roster.
This is not surprising given the vast majority are returning starters from 2024, now each a year older.

That doesn't mean the Bears starting defense won't feature some new faces. As they were veteran Free Agent signings, they didn't impact the average age.

  • While new EDGE Dayo Odeyingbo is a few years younger than former EDGE DeMarcus Walker, that's offset by the addition of 32-year-old veteran DT Grady Jarrett.
  • Jarrett was signed to not only increase pressure created by the Bears' interior defensive line but also to bring veteran leadership to help expedite further development of third-year DT Gervon Dexter Sr. and second-round draft pick DT Shemar Turner.


Unlike the Bears' offense, the Bears' defense isn't expected to have a rookie play a majority of snaps this season. While fourth-round draft pick LB Ruben Hyppolite II could see playing time as a third linebacker, the Bears defense under new Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen will likely use a nickel package more, featuring Kyler Gordon in the slot.

Despite a disappointing conclusion to the 2024 season (in part due to season-ending injuries to key starters DT Andrew Billings and S Jaquan Brisker), the Bears' defense has the talent to dominate once again as they did in the first half of 2024.

How Much Does Roster Age Matter?

The answer is it depends. There is no direct correlation between average roster age and results in the NFL.

Roster age is influenced by:

  1. Philosophy of front office (For example, the Browns' General Manager tends to draft players who are among the youngest in their draft classes).
  2. Where the roster is at relative to team performance. This includes belief of a 'window' to compete for a championship by winning teams.
  3. Strength of that franchise's ability to draft and develop players from within.
  4. Consideration of the salary cap and any dead cap they are managing.

Both younger and older rosters can be effective.

  • In 2024, both the Green Bay Packers (the youngest team) and the Washington Commanders (one of the oldest teams) made the playoffs. Green Bay is known for developing talent, while the Commanders have been aggressive in successfully turning around that franchise with a majority of veterans surrounding their young talent.
  • Heading into 2025, Commanders starters are projected to be the oldest team. They've added more experienced talent to build upon the great success of 2nd year QB Jayden Daniels. The Pittsburgh Steelers are another team adding more veterans, including DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey, to capitalize on the unique short-term window with Aaron Rodgers as their QB.

Yet despite these examples, there's no question that a NFL youth movement is underway. The six youngest teams in the NFL by average roster age reached the playoffs in 2024.

Youth was served in the postseason, overall. The 6 youngest teams in the NFL on Opening Day this year (Green Bay, LA Rams, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, LA Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles) all reached the postseason.
Bill Spiros of bookies.com

In addition, Super Bowl LVIII featured two of the youngest teams ever with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

This tells us that talent trumps age, and it also depends on the quality and experience of the coaching staff around them. While the Philadelphia Eagles had the youngest defense in the NFL, they were also led by one of the most seasoned and respected defensive coordinators in Vic Fangio.

The Bears in the Middle Sounds 'Just Right'

So what does this mean for the Bears, who are looking to have a winning season and make the playoffs for the first time since 2018? A balanced approach makes sense and has guided Bears General Manager Ryan Poles in constructing the roster.

Poles understands the importance of adding key veterans like Jarrett and All-Pro OG Joe Thuney, who sets a visible example of excellence through elite play and brings his experience from winning Super Bowls to the locker room.

Poles also remains committed to building through the draft. This is evidenced not only by Loveland and Burden on the offense, but also second-round draft pick OT Ozzy Trapillo. Many experts believe he will assume the starting LT position by 2026, with the Bears allowing current LT Braxton Jones to depart in Free Agency. And in Ben Johnson's first year, it makes sense that more investments were made on the offense vs. the defense to set Caleb Williams up for success in 2025 and beyond.

Plus, the average age of the 742 players on the 14 NFL playoff rosters in 2024 was 27 years, 0 months, 6 days. The 2025 Bears' average age at 25 years, 6 months is in line with the youth movement overall. Appropriate for a franchise who's building a contender with aspirations to compete at that level for many seasons to come.

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Kirsten Tanis
KIRSTEN TANIS

Kirsten Tanis has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2023 with balanced, insightful and well-researched analysis. A lifelong avid sports fan, she is most passionate about NFL Football and believes flea flickers are underrated. She lives with her husband, 3 kids and cats.

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