Bear Digest

Ranking which Chicago Bears are most likely to breakout in 2025 season

The Chicago Bears are expected to bounce back in a big way following a disappointing 2024 campaign, and a handful of players are likely to lead the charge.
Pete Martuneac|
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Chicago Bears

The 2025 offseason has seen the Chicago Bears do some seriously heavy lifting in reconstructing their roster. GM Ryan Poles was active in trades and in free agency and has been rewarded with glowing praise for the team he's putting together. In fact, due to all these changes, quarterback Caleb Williams has been projected by Pro Football Focus to be the most improved quarterback in the NFL.

And he's not the only Bear who seems destined for a breakout year in 2025. Here's four other players who should be putting up some of the best numbers of their careers.

1. Cole Kmet

Ever since the Chicago Bears drafted tight end Colston Loveland at tenth overall last month, there's been plenty of talk about whether he's here to push Kmet off the roster. I'm not buying that. Kmet is a locker room leader and an incredible player, but he doesn't get the respect he deserves when people talk about the game's top tight ends.

That's going to change in 2025. For the first time, Kmet should have an offensive playcaller who knows how to work him into the passing game and a quarterback who can get him the ball reliably. Kmet's best numbers in a season are 719 yards and 7 touchdowns; I expect him to beat both marks in 2025.

Cole Kme
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2. Montez Sweat

After a career year in 2023 that saw Sweat earn his first Pro Bowl nod, he regressed quite a bit in 2024. To be fair, just about everyone regressed during former head coach Matt Eberflus' final, disastrous season in Chicago. With a highly regarded defensive mind in Dennis Allen calling the shots on defense and Andrew Billings returning from injury, Sweat is primed for another Pro Bowl season. Don't be surprised if he flirts with 15 sacks, which would beat his previous career high of 12.5 sacks.

Montez Swea
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3. Gervon Dexter

Dexter started his sophomore season on a heater, racking up 4 sacks in his first 5 games before trailing off as Eberflus lost control of the locker room. But more important than his sack numbers last year were his quarterback hits. Dexter got his hands on the quarterback 19 times, fourth best among all defensive tackles for the year and just one behind the six-time All-Pro Chris Jones.

With improved coaching and the return of a healthy Andrew Billings beside him, expect a few of those hits to turn into sacks, which should get Dexter close to double-digits.

4. Rome Odunze

While Odunze did not have a bad rookie year in 2024, he left a lot of yards and touchdowns on the field. Multiple times, he and Williams were not on the same page at all and that was likely due to the slipshod coaching they both received.

Now, with a year of experience and a vastly improved coaching staff, Odunze should become the kind of receiving menace that keeps defensive coordinators up at night. In fact, there's a good chance that this is the last time DJ Moore enters the year as Chicago's unquestioned WR1. He still must prove it on the field, but I don't think it's too bold to say Odunze has a 1,500-yard,12-touchdown season coming up in 2025.

Rome Odunz
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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.

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