The forgetful 2024 Chicago Bears season had plenty of high performing players who had down seasons that led to the 5-12 record.
Their offense was ranked at the bottom in total offense and the defense was in the bottom half as well. It was a season plagued with poor offensive line play and not closing out close games at the end.
With a new coaching staff in place, the 2025 season has become a pivotal one for the Bears to show improvement. There are three players in particular who need to improve and are pretty much guaranteed to do so because of the improved roster.
Four Bears that are locks to improve in 2025
Caleb Williams, QB
Williams' rookie season wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. He completed just 62.5% of his passes with 20 touchdowns to six interceptions. He added 10 fumbles and 68 sacks taken on what was an up-and-down season for the former USC quarterback.
With a revamped offensive line and new weapons added on offense through the NFL Draft, Williams is set up with success in 2025. As long as he can follow new head coach Ben Johnson's direction, he's got all the tools to be better than he was last year.
D'Andre Swift, RB
Don't let the yards fool fans, Swift had the roughest season of his career. He was close to getting to 1,000 yards, but he only averaged a career-worst 3.8 yards per carry in 2024.
Similar to Williams, having a better offensive line in 2025 should open up more running lanes for Swift and the rest of the running backs. Even if the backfield is more of a committee, Swift should be more productive with his carries and be the back the Bears thought he would be last year.
Read more:Bears rookie receives strong comparison to three-time Pro Bowler
Montez Sweat, DE
All was good with Sweat in 2023, as he dominated with the Bears after being traded to Chicago from the Washington Commanders, leading both teams in sacks. 2024 took a wild turn, as he dramatically dropped to 5.5 sacks and posted an overall PFF grade of 65.6, ranking 79th out of 211 defensive ends.
Chicago is paying Sweat $24.5 million per year and the team needs more than just 5.5 sacks in a season. Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett being added to the defensive line should help with creating more pressure and add more opportunities for Sweat to wreck havoc on offenses in 2025.