Bear Digest

D'Andre Swift charges ahead in Chicago Bears Week 8 player power rankings

In a dominant Week 7 victory, D'Andre Swift had arguably his most complete game as a Chicago Bear.
Pete Martuneac|
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson warned fans before the season started that developing Caleb Williams into a franchise quarterback would take time, that there'd be ups and downs throughout this season. Caleb Williams' pedestrian Week 7 outing was definitely one of those downs, and 'pedestrian' is putting it nicely. More than a few times, Williams' bad habits returned with a vengeance as he didn't see the field well, scrambled backwards, and appeared out of sync.

After a three-week run at the top of my Chicago Bears player power rankings, Williams comes crashing back to Earth along with Rome Odunze, who falls off the list entirely due to his bad drops. Who rounds out the Top 5 this week? Let's dive in.

1. D'Andre Swift (Last week: 5)

From worst to first, Swift is finally proving his value to Ben Johnson and the offensive coaches in 2025 with back-to-back impressive wins. In fact, in order to give him his full credit, I would say that the Bears probably lose both of their last two games without Swift. He's averaging over 7 yards per carry in that time and has three touchdowns to go with it, two on the ground and one in the air.

If he keeps this up, I'm going to owe him an official apology, but I've got to see a larger sample size than just two games first.

2. Kevin Byard III (Last week: Not ranked)

Signing Byard in free agency in 2024 has proven to quietly be one of GM Ryan Poles' best acquisitions to date. He's a proven leader for this defense and is now tied for the most interceptions in the league this year with four. He very nearly had his fifth interception late in the game, but the ball was knocked loose by Nahshon Wright, who was also going for the pick. Byard later gave Wright the business on social media for the gaffe.

3. Joe Thuney (Last week: 3)

Another fantastic acquisition by Poles has been left guard Joe Thuney. I don't believe we've heard his name called a single time in any of Chicago's games so far, which is the mark of an elite offensive lineman. Thuney deserves a ton of credit for the Bears' offensive success thus far in 2025.

Joe Thune
David Banks-Imagn Images

4. Tremaine Edmunds (Last week: Not ranked)

The signing of Edmunds was widely panned in 2023 when he joined Chicago and has even been considered among the NFL's most overpaid players. Just six games into 2025, however, and the Bears may want to consider signing the 27-year-old linebacker to a contract extension. He's already deflected four passes and picked off three, which is tied for second-most interceptions in the league, and is on pace for a career-high 171 total tackles.

5. Caleb Williams (Last week: 1)

We have to be honest: Williams played arguably his worst game as a pro on Sunday and actively hindered this team. However, even as concerns rise due to the return of bad habits, Bears fans don't need to panic. Bad games happen, even to the best of quarterbacks. This is simply part and parcel of watching a young quarterback develop. Bears fans have to keep the faith in Ben Johnson to get this right.

Caleb William
David Banks-Imagn Images

More Chicago Bears News:

Published
Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

Home/News