The Chicago Bears are finally ready to put behind a disastrous three-year tenure under Matt Eberflus and Thomas Brown, who took over the last five games following the firing of Eberflus the day after the Thanksgiving game.
General Manager Ryan Poles, who could have faced the same fate as Eberflus, redeemed himself by hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as the next Bears head coach. This off-season, he finally addressed the offensive line by adding veteran center Drew Dalman and guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. In the draft, Poles selected tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III, and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo.
All of these moves were made to help quarterback Caleb Williams, who had a rough rookie season, getting sacked 68 times. Still, the Bears face high expectations as they enter the 2025 season. As the new coaching staff continues evaluating the team, many players face pressure to convince Johnson and his coaching staff that they are worth keeping. The training camp will be the first step for many players to make a strong impression on the new coaching staff.
Here are 4 players who need to have a strong season to avoid the "bust" label and remain with the Bears.
4. Jaquan Brisker, Safety
- Drafted: 48th overall, 2022 (Penn State)
- 2024 Stats: 40 combined tackles, 1 interception, 1 Fumble recovery
Brisker was a surprising selection, along with cornerback Kyler Gordon, by Ryan Poles in his first draft back in 2022. As Gordon received an extension this off-season, Brisker already finds himself at a crossroads in his NFL career entering this season.
Brisker has already suffered three concussions and missed 16 of 51 career games. Last season, he missed the final 12 games and had to wait until OTAs in June to make his official return. The Bears' defense missed his physicality last season, and his presence will be needed in Dennis Allen's new defense.
He becomes a free agent after this season, so he has extra motivation entering the 2025 season. He must prove he can not only stay healthy, he can be productive. Both the Bears and other prospective teams will surely pay close attention to him.
3. Austin Booker, Edge Rusher
- Drafted: 144th overall, 2024 (Kansas)
New defensive coordinator Dennis Allen prefers his defensive linemen/edge rushers to be big and tall. It explains their decision to sign Dayo Odeyingbo this off-season. He is listed at 6'5", 282 pounds, and is still 25 years old. They also drafted rookie Shemar Stewart in the second round out of Texas A&M to further bolster their pass rush. Don't forget, they also have holdover Gervon Dexter, who has the size to play the defensive end.
Booker had a strong training camp and preseason last year despite being considered a raw, developmental prospect. Unfortunately, he only had 1.5 sacks and a meager 52.5 grade from PFF, which shows he is still very much a work in progress.
His size(6'5", 240) will not win over Allen, so it is interesting to see how much work he was able to put into transforming his body in his first full off-season. The Bears desperately need Booker to emerge as the DE2 behind Montez Sweat, who did not have a great 2024 season.
2. Tyler Scott, Wide Receiver
- Drafted: 133rd overall, 2023 (Cincinnati)
Of all the players currently on the Bears' roster, Tyler Scott probably faces the longest odds to make the team this upcoming season. His speed was a much-needed addition to the Bears' receiving corps, which also added veteran DJ Moore back in 2023.
However, after a poor rookie season, during which he struggled to catch the ball, the Bears made an offensive change by firing Luke Getsy and hiring Shan Waldron as the new offensive coordinator last off-season. They also traded for veteran Keenan Allen and drafted Rome Odunze. As a result, his snap count went from 439 snaps in 2023 to just 20 snaps last season.
This offseason, the Bears further added more weapons by signing veteran free-agent Olamide Zaccheus and Devin Duvernay, while drafting Luther Burden III. Adding Duvernay was a further blow to Scott's chance of making the team, as he is expected to assume the Bears' main kick returner and punt returner, something Scott has struggled with.
1. Braxton Jones, Left Tackle
- Drafted: 168th overall, 2022 (Southern Utah)
Jones has been a favorite whipping boy amongst many Bears fans since he became the starter at left tackle, the second most important position in football behind quarterback. Despite being a 5th-round pick, Jones has outplayed his draft status, which is a testament to his work ethic.
However, Jones' PFF grade shows his performance leaves a lot to be desired. His pass-blocking grade was 80.8, which puts him at 17th, while his run-blocking grade was 70.2, which puts him 35th overall. Overall, his grade was 77.4, which ranked 20th out of 140 tackles.
Unfortunately, Jones fractured his ankle in Week 16 last season and underwent surgery. He also missed six games with a neck problem. As he currently recovers, the Bears drafted tackle Ozzy Trapilo from Boston College 56th overall during April's NFL Draft. Jones is not expected to be 100% healthy by training camp, which allowed Trapilo to get valuable reps during last month's OTAs while splitting time with Kiran Amedgadge, a third-round pick out of Yale last year.
If Trapilo puts on a strong performance during training camp when full pads are on and also during preseason games, Trapilo replacing Jones to be the starting left tackle becomes a reality, which puts Jones' future in doubt as his rookie deal expires after this season.