The perception around the Chicago Bears' skill players has been up and down over the past three seasons. It might have finally fallen into a middle ground, as they rank 15th in the latest ranking by Bill Barnwell of ESPN.Â
Chicago Bears Skill Players Rank In Middle of the NFLÂ
Barnwell put the Bears sixth in 2024. The team signed D’Andre Swift, traded for Keenan Allen, and drafted Rome Odunze. With D.J. Moore already in the mix, Barnwell was bullish. However, we all know how that went.Â
Swift was not as impactful thanks to the offensive system. Allen looked older and slower. Odunze was just a rookie and was not ready. With Moore also struggling to connect with the rookie Caleb Williams, everyone failed to meet expectations.Â
However, the reset was too far for Barnwell. The upgrade in the coordinator was massive. That helped them get the most out of Swift in 2025. Odunze was entering his second year, and while he had some down moments, he was better in year two.
Beyond that, the team had rookies Luther Burden and Colston Loveland break out. Both finished hot in the playoffs and showed that the ranking was far too skeptical of what these guys could do.Â
Now, Barnwell is coming in with a medium outlook after being too bullish one year and bearish the next.Â
That is probably the safest place to rank the Bears. There are enough proven players to avoid putting them near the bottom of the league, but there are still enough young players that projecting another major leap comes with some risk.
Barnwell notes that Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams deserve credit, and that is fair. This is not a ranking that considers the playcaller and quarterback. Swift is never going to rate too high on this ranking because it has been shown that the environment often impacts his production.Â
Still, he might be a bit hesitant about the progression of Burden and Loveland. If those two become legitimate threats in the offense and continue to progress, the ranking is going to look low.Â
However, it is fair to be cautious about assuming progression after small sample spurts from the young pass catchers. They have shown the flashes that fans wanted to see, but doing it over a full season is a different challenge. If they take that next step, the Bears could quickly move into the top ten of these rankings.
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