News Bears Team Notes

[Chicago Bears]

2024 Rearview Mirror: Rome Odunze Draft Pick

Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

In this series, we look back at the biggest moves from a year ago and review how they have panned out up to this point.

Next up in our 2024 rearview mirror series is Wide Receiver, Rome Odunze.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Bears rookie WR, Rome Odunze became a dependable option for his QB towards the end of his rookie season.

In a loaded 2024 draft class, particularly for Wide Receivers, Rome Odunze was one of the consensus top three at the position, along with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. All three players possessed the resume and physical prowess to eventually be WR1s in the league. Prior to trading Justin Fields, many thought the Chicago Bears would consider Marvin Harrison Jr. with their first selection.

But then the Chicago Bears earned the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft, and they went after the QB of the future with the top pick. More on that in the final installment of this series.

With the 9th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, most pundits assumed an offensive lineman like Olu Fashanu or a defensive end like Laiatu Latu or Dallas Turner would be the pick for Chicago, considering the Bears had just traded for future Hall of Famer Keenan Allen. Instead, Bears’ GM Ryan Poles pulled the trigger on the former NCAA yardage leader the year prior in former Washington Husky Rome Odunze.

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Rome Odunze frequently got behind opposing defenses in his final season as a Husky.

What appeared to be somewhat of a luxury pick, Ryan Poles selected the decorated wideout and added to the weapons in Chicago. And some weapon was Rome, having just amassed 1.640 yards on 92 catches and 13 TDs with a 17.8 ypc average. Standing 6’3” and weighing over 212 pounds, Odunze then ripped off a 4.45 forty yard dash, 39” vertical 10’4” broad jump, 6.88 three cone drill and 4.03 short shuttle. This was good enough for a 9.92 RAS score which ranked 26th out of 3,188 WR since 1987, courtesy of @MathBomb

Rome Odunze is a WR prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.92 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 26 out of 3188 WR from 1987 to 2024.

Pro day pending.https://t.co/Z5Lmfjl3IN pic.twitter.com/QEeUjkmDlB

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) March 27, 2024​

Odunze was lauded for his resume and nature both on and off the field, but would there be enough targets to go around as a pro on a team that already included DJ Moore, Cole Kmet, Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and newly acquired Gerald Everett?

While he did get 101 targets, Rome only caught 54 passes for 734 yards and 3 scores, and while he did lead the team in receiving yards in four games as a rookie, it is fair to ask if he was the best selection for the Bears at the time.

Hindsight is 20/20, and had Poles known Odunze would have been available at 1.09, it is far less likely that he would have traded for Keenan Allen. But what’s done is done, and Rome’s production and involvement were ultimately slowed by the presence of a future HOF on the roster. So was it a good pick? Yes, I think it was, and I am excited to see how Rome fares moving forward. But from a team-building standpoint, selecting a WR over an OL with a rookie QB and two WR1s on the roster already was not the most fool-proof move.

---

What about you? What did you think of the Rome Odunze selection and did that change after watching the OL struggle so much or the pass rush fail to deliver?​

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Check out the other 2024 player acquisition reviews here:

• Ryan Bates trade
• Kevin Byard signing
• D’Andre Swift signing
• Keenan Allen trade

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...illiams-ryan-poles-matt-eberflus-keenan-allen

 

[Chicago Bears]

CJ Stroud, Caleb Williams laugh about infamous postgame handshake

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Well, at least C.J. Stroud and Caleb Williams have a sense of humor.

With the two together on stage with Kay Adams, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning at FanDuel’s FanaticsFest this weekend, Adams asked Stroud what advice he might give the Chicago Bears star as the latter goes into his second season. Given Stroud’s battle with a sophomore slump after a Rookie of the Year campaign in 2023, it’s a natural question for the third-year passer.

But the Houston Texans signal-caller learned his lesson from the last time he tried to impart some wisdom onto the former Heisman Trophy winner, which resulted in a less-than-receptive reaction from Williams and criticism from Bears fans.

“I don’t know if Caleb likes my advice,” Stroud quipped, earning laughs from Williams.

#Texans QB C.J. Stroud when asked if he has any advice for #Bears QB Caleb Williams going into year 2:

“I don’t know if Caleb likes my advice.” pic.twitter.com/S1gYCqqJQd

— Chicago Bears Network (@bearsnetwork_) June 22, 2025​

The humorous exchange comes about a year after Stroud held Williams up after their Week 2 game last year, which the Texans won, to pump the then-rookie up while also giving some pointed advice

Hey, stop taking this hits,” Stroud told Williams before he could walk away. “Look, come here. Learn from those mistakes and everything that you got bro, is already in you bro. You going to be a hell of a player in the league.”

Not a few fans and pundits took issue with those words since Stroud has just one year more of professional experience than Williams, noting that the latter seemed perturbed at being instructed by a peer. (It’s also worth noting Williams was probably more irritated with his performance in the loss, having thrown two interceptions and no touchdowns, than the exchange itself.)

But it seems they don’t have any hard feelings about the whole thing, which was always way overblown from a talking heads perspective.

Maybe we can all laugh about it now.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...me-handshake-chicago-bears-houston-texans-nfl

 

[Chicago Bears]

Ten Chicago Bears with the most to prove in 2025: #5 Left Tackle

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Everybody has something on the line at this position.

The first half of our series, Ten Chicago Bears with the most to prove, is in the books. If you haven’t seen the list so far, it’s been as follows:

10. Roschon Johnson
9. Jaquan Brisker
8. Geron Dexter
7. Cole Kmet
6. Tremaine Edmunds

As we reach number five on the list, I will admit, for the first time, we cheated. We didn’t pick a player or a coach with the most to prove; we chose a position, and by doing so, we’ve lumped three players together.

Is it cheating? Probably. But we cheat for the sake of content. Nobody wants to see a top 10 list with 3 of the 10 players being left tackle, but that’s just how open this position is.

Let’s start with the newcomer, Ozzy Trapilo. Of the three left tackles, he has the least to prove amongst the group simply because he's a rookie. But Trapilo also has a chance to do something impressive: start at left tackle as a rookie.

Trapilo will have plenty of competition at this position, but he will have an opportunity to emerge from the training camp carnage as the team’s starting left tackle. What will play to his benefit is that Braxton Jones will most likely be missing from the beginning of camp.

Jones is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in late December against the Detroit Lions that required surgery. With Jones absent, someone is going to have to run with the 1s, and there’s a good chance that Trapilo will be that person. He will probably be rotated with Kiran Amegadjie early in camp, but the smart money is that Trapilo will place himself firmly in front of Amegadjie in a short time.

That brings us to the second-year tackle out of Yale. When Amegadjie was selected, a lot of hype surrounded him, but that was largely because Amegadjie was a local product who grew up cheering for the Bears.

Those who had looked at his tape saw a toolsy player, but one that didn’t show well on tape, played against weaker competition in the Ivy League, and was coming off an injury. All signs pointed to a player who was going to be a project and probably needed a full year of practice and development before he saw the field.

But Amegadjie saw the field in December, and the results were disastrous. Now, Amegadjie enters year two with his future a bit uncertain.

Don’t get me wrong, Amedgadjie’s training camp and preseason would have to be disastrous on epic proportions for him to be released from the team in September, but it’s also not out of the realm of possibility.

You can’t take much away from OTAs and minicamp for offensive linemen, but it’s also not positive that no reporters who saw Amegadjie on the field thought he looked particularly good against the Bears' defenders.

Amegadjie has a long way to go, and he’s going to have to make tremendous strides this training camp to even get to a point where he can be relied on as a backup for 2025.

Based on the play we saw in December, would you be comfortable right now committing to Amegadjie as the team’s swing tackle? I don’t think many would.

If Amegadjie struggles throughout July and August, the team is going to have to keep him as the team’s fourth tackle and keep their fingers crossed that he doesn’t see the field any time soon.

At the same time, if Amedgadjie does develop and show significant strides during training camp and Ben Johnson is comfortable with him as the team’s swing tackle, that certainly opens up the door for some options on the veteran of the group, Braxton Jones.

For a guy who just plugs along and does his job, Braxton Jones doesn’t get a lot of love. Jones feels like today’s version of Charles Leno. He doesn’t do anything spectacularly well, he doesn’t do anything terribly, but he’s just a middle-of-the-road, average tackle.

For a fifth-round pick from Southern Utah, that’s an incredible accomplishment. Jones has proven he’s a legitimate NFL left tackle, and he should have a 10-year career in this league if his health holds up.

But that’s where you start to run into issues with Jones. The first is health. Jones started all 17 games as a rookie, but ended up missing six games during his second season and another five during his third. One of those injuries was significant and late into the season, which is now it’s going to impact Jones’ ability to get ready for the 2025 season.

When you have an average left tackle who is starting to show signs that he may not be able to reliably stay on the field, that’s when you have to wonder if he’s the type of player a front office can risk giving a significant second contract to.

Three questions surround Jones’ future. One, will he be on the field enough to extend? Two, is his talent at a high enough level to pay him near $20 million a year? Three, do the Bears have enough money under the cap to have all five of their offensive linemen on veteran contracts?

The Bears must have a firm answer on all those to consider extending him. Jones must prove he can stay on the field; he must improve on his ability to show the Bears can’t live without him at left tackle. If he stays on the field and looks replaceable by Trapilo or Amegadjie, that’s exactly what the Bears will do.

If Jones makes himself irreplaceable this year, the Bears will have to figure out how to pay all five offensive linemen at once, something you don’t usually see teams do. If the Bears see a more affordable option to replace Jones after this season, that’s exactly what they’ll do.

That’s where Jones not being ready for the start of training camp puts his future behind the 8-ball. Jones needs to make sure he keeps the starting job from Trapilo and Amedgadjie, but he won’t be on the field at the start of camp to separate himself from the two young tackles.

If Jones can’t do that and he loses his starting job to Trapilo, you can all but guarantee this will be Jones’ last season in Chicago. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that, if Amedgadjie also shows improvement, Jones could be on the trading block. There are plenty of teams that would consider Jones a pretty decent upgrade at left tackle compared to what they are currently trotting out there.

So that’s where we are with the most interesting position in training camp. Can Trapilo prove that he is ready to start at the NFL level? Can Amedgadjie prove that he belongs on an NFL field and show promise for the future? Can Jones show that this is still his position and prove that he needs to be the man protecting Caleb Williams’ blindside?

This is going to be the position to watch in July and August, and it will be fascinating to see how it unfolds.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...le-braxton-jones-ozzy-trapilo-kiran-amegadjie

 

[Chicago Bears]

2025 Chicago Bears Training Camp Dates

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Ben Johnson era starts with 12 public practices

The Chicago Bears announced their public training camp practice schedule Wednesday.

The team will hold 12 public practices from July 25 to Aug. 15.

During that time, they’ll have Family Fest and two joint public practices, one each with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.

The full schedule:

Friday, July 25 - 8:30 a.m.
Saturday, July 26 - 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday, July 29 - 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday, July 30 - 8:30 a.m.
Thursday, July 31 - 8:30 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 2 - 8:30 a.m.
Sunday, Aug. 3 - Family Fest at Soldier Field
Thursday, Aug. 7 - 11 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 8 - Joint practice with Dolphins - 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 13 - 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 14 - 11 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 15 - Joint practice with Bills - 10:30 a.m.

Free tickets will be available starting Wednesday, July 9, at 10 a.m. CT.

If you’re claiming free tickets, don’t be a jerk and re-sell them. Keep training camp FREE for families and fans. If you end up not being able to go, GIVE them away to someone who wants to go.

This is my soapbox. Training camp remains the last entry-level way for fans to interact with their favorite team.

How many practices are you going to try to attend?

Mark your calendars ️

Free #BearsCamp tickets are available on July 9 at 10am CT

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 25, 2025​

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...st-joint-miami-dolphins-buffalo-bills-tickets

 

[Chicago Bears]

The Bear’s Den, June 26, 2025

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Collusion is the word of the day in NFL land

WE WANT YOU!

Would you like to show your Chicago Bears spirit to the world? I’m starting a feature where Windy City Gridiron readers can share pictures of themselves and their families and friends in Bears attire. Simply email a picture to me at the following address: denmasterken at aol dot com. The pictures need to be clear, and full resolution (i.e. full size from your phone if that’s how you take them). Include any description information you like along with the photo!

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

DENMASTER KEN’S VIDEO GRAB BAG

BEARRRSSSS​

How Bears training camp at home just isn’t like the good old days - SI - Analysis: It wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Bears to look around for a nearby school to house their training camps once their stadium issues get resolved.

Bears projected to land Jalen Ramsey in blockbuster three-team trade - Could the Chicago Bears really pull off this massive trade for Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey? Ken’s Note: Oh for ______’s sake, what the serious ______ is wrong with the inside of your ______ head? This ______ is dumber than most offseason _______. I swan.

Bears set training camp schedule - 670 - The Bears have set their calendar for training camp, which will feature 12 practices open to the general public. The Bears will report to training camp on July 22.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t want attention, why is he doing Pat McAfee’s show in June? - NBC Sports - Always be leery of people who voluntarily appear on a very public platform and declare, “I don’t want attention.”

POLISH SAUSAGE

Ohio legislature clears path for Browns to leave Cleveland, despite Art Modell Law - NBC Sports - Legislature opens door for Browns to move to Brook Park.

Did collusion case bring down Jeff Pash? - NBC Sports - In the aftermath of the release of the previously-hidden collusion ruling, many are wondering whether there will be consequences for key players like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell, and/or NFLPA chief strategy officer J.C.

What happens next with the collusion story? - NBC Sports
- The collusion ruling could, depending on what the players choose to do, have ramifications for the NFL and/or the NFL Players Association.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON​

Chicago Bears announce 2025 training camp schedule - Chicago Tribune - The Chicago Bears announced their 2025 training camp schedule, which includes 11 practices that are open to the public. Here's the entire schedule, plus important dates to know.

NFL 2025 offseason winners, losers: Eagles still soaring; will Aaron Rodgers help Steelers? - The Athletic - The NFC North was also in the headlines this spring, as was 49ers QB Brock Purdy, who hit it big as questions swirled about his team.

Ten Chicago Bears with the most to prove in 2025: #4 DE Montez Sweat - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears best pass rusher needs to return to his 2023 form.

2025 Chicago Bears Training camp public practice dates - Windy City Gridiron - The Ben Johnson era starts with 12 public practices

Stock Up, Stock Down: Assessing The NFC North’s Offseason Movement - Windy City Gridiron - Following another busy NFL offseason, one could argue that the best regular-season division in football might even be better moving into 2025. We’ll take a deeper dive into each team’s moves, and assess who improved their odds of taking the NFC North crown this season.

Open Thread Question of the Day: Who is the Bears' next Hall of Famer? - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears have put more players in the Hall of Fame than any other franchise...who’s next?

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Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...les-offseason-draft-ben-johnson-nfl-collusion

 

[Chicago Bears]

Rex Grossman Predicts Caleb Williams Will Set Chicago Bears Record In 2025

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The former Chicago Bears QB sees big things ahead for Caleb and the Bears.

The last time the Chicago Bears reached a Super Bowl, the team was led by Rex Grossman under center.

The 2003 first round draft pick had hopes high among Bears fans, displaying some promise early in his career. However, fans continually had to wait to see what Grossman would ultimately become due to some unfortunate injuries.

Grossman saw action in the final three games of his rookie year. He started at home against Minnesota and Washington, earning victories in both, before losing on the road at Kansas City in the final game. Grossman left that game early with a broken finger.

There was excitement for the 2004 campaign with new coach Lovie Smith at his side. Grossman helped lead the Bears to a week two victory at Lambeau Field over the Green Bay Packers, but he tore his ACL in week three at Minnesota.

The following year, Grossman broke his ankle in a preseason game and wouldn’t see action until returning at the end of the season during a memorable Sunday Night Football game at home against the Atlanta Falcons. The following week, the Bears clinched the NFC North title at Lambeau Field with a Christmas Day victory. Unfortunately, the season came to an end in a decisive division round loss to the Carolina Panthers at home.

Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images

The 2006 season was Grossman’s only full season as the starter for the Bears, resulting in a trip to the Super Bowl and a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Miami. The season had many ups and downs for the Bears signal caller, who looked like a legitimate MVP candidate during the first several weeks of the season before defenses adapted and forced him into some rough games, resulting in a roller coaster of a year when it came to his weekly performances.

Grossman went on to start seven games in 2007, losing his starting role to Brian Griese before recapturing it and later suffering a knee injury. He started just one game for the Bears in 2008 before finishing out his career with stints in Washington and Houston from 2009-2011.

Grossman recently spoke out about the 2025 Bears during an exclusive interview with Card Player. He was asked about new Bears QB Caleb Williams and his ability to change the trajectory of the franchise.

“A lot of people can’t (succeed out of structure), so he’s got something a lot of people can’t do,” Grossman said. “I sure as hell couldn’t do it. I was pretty much stuck in the pocket and I had to. He’s kind of got to force himself to resist the urge of rolling out when he doesn’t need to, or taking unnecessary sacks. If you keep to schedule, meaning you keep your third downs manageable, it makes it a lot easier.”

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

Grossman went on to predict that Williams will become the Bears’ first 4,000 yard passer during 2025.

“During our Super Bowl run, we were ahead in a lot of games and didn’t throw the ball a lot. That really wasn’t our identity. We were more play-action pass, run the ball and quick passes. I did have some big games but the priority of that season wasn’t to put up stats. Stats are great if you have the personnel and the play package to throw the ball a lot. I think they will have a balanced offense and he’ll be around 4,200 or 4,300 yards this year.”

Card Player asked Grossman about the recent report that Williams had initially wanted to be drafted by the Vikings prior to his visit in Chicago. Grossman commented on Williams’ loyalty to the Bears organization.

“You start to develop a bond with all the people behind-the-scenes and the fanbase. You get a house. Anything that happened before the draft should be ignored. I’m sure Caleb’s all-in now. I think that’s something he tried to do with his team before the draft but now, it’s a non-story. … I know everybody behind the scenes in Chicago is amazing, from the owner, to the equipment managers, to the training staff. It’s a beautiful facility so I’m sure he’s all bought in,” Grossman said.

One other note of interest. Both Grossman (3-0) and Williams (1-0) are undefeated in games started at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...illiams-will-set-chicago-bears-record-in-2025

 

[Chicago Bears]

Open Thread Topic of the Day: Which NFL stat is the most overrated?

Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images

QB wins? Tackles? Red Zone Conversion %? Interceptions Thrown? Which NFL stat is the least useful in judging a player's ability?

We’re in the heart of the NFL offseason, finding the Chicago Bears smack dab in the middle of the lull between OTAs and training camp, what better time to spark some discussions about topics we rarely touch on during the regular season?

That brings us to a fun question worth exploring:

What’s the most overrated stat in the NFL?

For a long time now, I’ve had a personal gripe with one particular stat: the NFL Passer Rating. In fact, [shameless plug warning] I spent four months this offseason trying to develop a better way to quantify a quarterback’s impact, something I call the True Passer Rating. (Feel free to ask me about it anytime.) Now, back to our regularly scheduled off-season fluff piece!

Why the NFL Passer Rating?​

Well, let’s start with a question: What does the NFL Passer Rating do?

To try and keep it simple, the NFL Passer Rating is a traditional formula used to measure a quarterback’s passing efficiency. It combines four key passing statistics: completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown percentage, and interception percentage into a single number on a scale from 0 to 158.3, where higher is better.

Its birth began in 1971 when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle (yes, that Pete Rozelle)...

... petitioned the NFL’s statistical committee to create a new way to crown a passing leader. It was officially adopted as the league standard in grading QB efficiency in 1973. Officially giving the league a way to crown its best/most efficient Quarterback.

But, why don’t I like it?

I have a few reasons.

1) It hasn’t aged well.​

Simply put, the NFL Passer Rating offers an outdated lens for evaluating quarterback success. According to Pro Football Reference, the league’s average passer rating has climbed from 64.9 in 1973 (when Roger Staubach led the NFL with a 94.6 rating) to 92.3 in 2024, with Lamar Jackson topping the list at a stellar 119.6. To put that in perspective, Staubach’s league-leading rating in 1973 would have ranked just 15th in 2024, right behind Russell Wilson. As quarterback skill has evolved and league rules have increasingly favored the passing game, it’s become harder and harder to make fair comparisons across eras using this metric alone.

2) It doesn’t take into account key components of being a passer.​

Here’s a simple thought experiment:

Quarterback A throws one pass: a 70-yard touchdown. However, 65 of those yards come after the catch, with the Wide Receiver turning a 5-yard slant into a long score.

Quarterback B also throws a 70-yard touchdown, but in this case, only 20 yards come after the catch. The QB hit his receiver perfectly in stride on a go route.

Are these two throws equal? According to the NFL Passer Rating, they result in the same 158.3 “perfect” score. But fails to take into consideration the relative difficulty of each throw, namely the depth of target on the throw (commonly known as average depth of target, or aDOT in today’s NFL.) So while the box score will tell you both QBs were amazing on that play, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

It also ignores two major components of quarterback play: ball security (specifically fumbles) and sacks. Modern NFL analytics show that taking just two sacks can be as damaging, or even more so, to a team’s Expected Points Added (EPA) as throwing an interception. And omitting fumbles lost by the quarterback feels like cherry-picking, conveniently overlooking a critical weakness for QBs who struggle with ball security.

3) It has arbitrary limiting factors to it.​

Namely, the minimum score of 0.0 and the maximum score of 158.3 (these being limited by additional limiting factors within how each component of the rating is calculated.) Secret Base did a fantastic video series covering this in more depth, and I would suggest checking it out if you want to do a deeper dive: Correcting the NFL’s passer rating lie.

4) It doesn’t even really do its job well.​

Bear with me. This is the first example that comes to mind when thinking about the flaws in the NFL Passer Rating.

Bears vs. 49ers, Week 14 of the 2024 season. The Bears came into the game clearly overmatched, just ten days removed from a hard-fought Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions. The 49ers jumped out to an early lead, scoring 24 points in the first half on their way to a 38-13 blowout. Chicago didn’t reach the end zone until there were about six minutes left in the third quarter.

Now, looking at the box score, Caleb Williams only threw for 134 yards. But he also had 2 touchdowns, no interceptions, and just 6 incompletions. On paper, that resulted in a 116.9 passer rating, the third highest of his career.

What that number doesn’t reflect is the seven sacks he took, the one fumble he lost, and the difficulty he had pushing the ball downfield, with an average depth of target of just 6.8 yards. Just an overall miserable game for not only Caleb Williams but the offensive unit as a whole.

To offer a different perspective, the passer rating I developed gave Caleb Williams a score of 41.9 for that game. In my opinion, that is a much more accurate reflection of how poorly he played.

For a brief comparison: In Week 6, Williams completed nearly 80% of his passes for 226 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT and just 3 sacks, and his rating ended up being 124.4 in a dominant 35-16 Bears win, merely 7.5 points higher! (A game which my system gives him a 153.3 score.)

And for those reasons, I believe the current NFL Passer Rating is overrated and not a significant or accurate way to measure a quarterback's performance.

But that raises the question: in your opinion, which NFL stat is the most overrated? Let us know in the comments!​

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Gary Baugher Jr. is a rookie contributor to WCG, bringing football insight backed by over 16 years of experience in organized football and more than 30 years as a passionate fan of the game. You can follow him on Twitter at @iamcogs.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...asser-rating-yards-wins-conversion-percentage

 

[Chicago Bears]

Which Chicago Bears Player will be on the NFL Top 100 in 2026?

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

We are all anticipating which Chicago Bears players will make the NFL Network’s 2025 Top 100 Player list, which is set to debut tomorrow. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson will again place among the Top 100 seems inevitable. New Chicago Bear Joe Thuney seems just as likely to make it as a selection. But those judgments are based on 2024 production as well as projections of players drafted and what they might do in 2025.

Which player on the Bears' current roster do you think will show out in 2025, demanding their presence on the 2026 Top 100 players list for the NFL?

Do you think Caleb Williams will do enough this season to register in the Top 100 next year? What about rookies like Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, III, or perhaps Shemar Turner - will they surprise the experts and the analysts and be Top 100 players after this season is in the books?

Let me know what you think in the comment section.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...-colston-loveland-luther-burden-shemar-turner

 

[Chicago Bears]

The Bear’s Den, June 30, 2025

Flag football players pose for a photo during the Chicago Bears’ Monsters Flag Football Clinic on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at Peoria Stadium. | MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bears putting on clinics in support of flag football, communities

WE WANT YOU!

Would you like to show your Chicago Bears spirit to the world? I’m starting a feature where Windy City Gridiron readers can share pictures of themselves and their families and friends in Bears attire. Simply email a picture to me at the following address: denmasterken at aol dot com. The pictures need to be clear, and full resolution (i.e. full size from your phone if that’s how you take them). Include any description information you like along with the photo!

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DENMASTER KEN’S VIDEO GRAB BAG

BEARRRSSSS​

Meskwaki Nation: How the Bears are helping make football ‘culturally exciting’ for a small tribe in Iowa - For a second consecutive year, the Bears traveled to Iowa’s Meskwaki Nation — the closest nationally-recognized Native American tribe to Chicago — to host Chicago Bears youth and high school training camps with the support of Nike.

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[Chicago Bears]

Ten Chicago Bears with the most to prove in 2025: #2 DJ Moore

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Bears star wide receiver needs to show that he’s an elite WR1 that will respond to hard coaching.

There are just two names left to unveil on our list of the 10 Chicago Bears with the most to prove in 2025. Our countdown has seen the names Roschon Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, Gervon Dexter, Cole Kmet, Tremaine Edmunds, all three left tackles, Montez Sweat, and Tyrique Stevenson thus far.

Number two on this list is one of the most popular players on the team. It is DJ Moore.

Moore came over to Chicago from the Carolina Panthers in the spring of 2023 after Ryan Poles made the massive trade, moving from the first pick to the ninth pick and bringing in a haul of picks along the way.

Moore came in and had immediate chemistry with Justin Fields and vibed well in Luke Getsy’s offense. Moore had arguably the best season of his career. He set career highs in receptions, yards, touchdowns, first downs, success rate, catch rate, and plenty of other statistical categories as well.

As the 2024 season rolled along, Moore had a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron and a new quarterback in Caleb Williams.

The 2024 season didn’t get along with Moore quite like the 2023 season did. If you didn’t watch the Bears last season and just looked at Moore’s stat line, you certainly wouldn’t think there was an issue.

Moore had more targets and more receptions than he did in 2023, but when you dive deeper, you’ll see that Moore’s yards per reception plummeted from 14.2 (similar to his career average) to 9.9. His success rate also dropped 12% from 2023, despite his catch rate remaining a similar number.

What did that mean? It meant that Moore’s action in 2024 wasn’t down the field at all; he spent most of his time catching wide receiver screens and fighting for yards on poorly blocked plays.

Moore is difficult to tackle and is one of the best tackle breakers at wide receiver in the entire league, but that’s only one aspect of his game. Moore also has excellent downfield ability, and that part of his game was completely missing last season.

That misuse created a much different DJ Moore on the field than we saw in 2023. Moore’s attitude was far worse. Moore consistently had poor body language on the field, would sit for a few seconds on the ground with his arms wrapped around his knees before he would get up and jog back to the huddle, and that culminated in a really bad look against the Arizona Cardinals.

With a play breaking down and Caleb Williams in the middle of a scramble drill, Moore walked off the field and sat down on the bench before the play was over. Moore would later defend himself, saying he had hurt his ankle and had stepped out of bounds, so he had become an illegal receiver and was just helping Williams out. But anyone who watched how Moore headed to the bench knows that this was not done to be a good teammate; this was a frustrated player who wasn’t interested in competing at that particular moment.

Moore’s attitude took a lot of Bears fans by surprise (myself included). Moore seemed like a leader on a team and someone who had an infectious positive attitude. Moore’s 2024 issues seem to be a reflection of the entire team, but he seemed far more public about his displeasure than many.

Enter Ben Johnson and a new outlook on the offense in 2025. Johnson likes to build an offense to his players’ strengths so one would think we will see a DJ Moore that resembles the 2023 version far more than the 2024 version, but I also think Johnson has made some previous comments that while they may not have been directed straight at Moore, he was certainly in the group that Johnson was eluding to.

“No block, no rock.”

Moore has always been the primary target on the offense. While that should still be the case this season, Johnson expects a buy-in on all aspects, including getting into defenders and blocking them on plays where they aren’t involved. This isn’t something Moore has had to do much of in the past. Will it be an issue?

If it is an issue, that’s where Moore’s future with the team could come into question. Luther Burden holds a very similar skillset to Moore, and if the rookie looks like he could be a special player and Moore’s buy-in isn’t where Ben Johnson wants it to be, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Bears move Moore next offseason.

If the Bears decide to trade DJ Moore with a post-June 1 designation next year, they can distribute his dead cap over three seasons ($4 million per), and the incoming team would get Moore at a bargain rate of $24.5 million for four seasons.

I’m not saying that’s the probable outcome with Moore, I’m saying that’s a possible outcome if Moore doesn’t buy in.

Moore was one of the players who went to Ryan Poles and told him the next coach needed to hold players more accountable. With that being said, you would think Moore would buy into what Johnson wants to do.

Moore’s a smart player, and he should also know that playing with a dynamic play-caller like Johnson can only help his career moving forward.

Moore needs to show that 2024 was just an unfortunate blip on his career and that the 2023 version is the one that Ryan Poles extended and wanted to be a part of this team for six years moving forward.

The expectation is that Moore proves just that and becomes a key part of Ben Johnson’s offense, but if Moore doesn’t buy in and his body language continues to look like it did in 2024, there will be some difficult conversations about Moore’s future in Chicago after this season.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...-moore-caleb-williams-ben-johnson-rome-odunze