In the sixth of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Chicago Bears.
Key Off-Season Acquisitions
The Bears acquired three notable players in the off-season. They were defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo of Brooklyn, New York, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett of Conyers, Georgia, and center Drew Dalman of Salinas, California.
Odeyingbo (pictured far left) signed a three-year deal worth $48 million with the Chicago Bears. He has played the last four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. In 2024, Odeyingbo had 31 combined tackles (13 solo tackles and 18 assisted tackles), seven tackles for a loss, 17 quarterback hits, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Jarrett signed a three-year deal worth $43.5 million with the Chicago Bears after 10 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, where he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020. This past season, Jarrett had 53 combined tackles (30 solo tackles and 23 assisted tackles), 12 quarterback hits, nine tackles for a loss, and 2.5 sacks.
Dalman signed a three-year deal worth $42 million with the Chicago Bears. He spent the last four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2024, Dalman missed eight games with an ankle injury.
The Bears also acquired two players via trades. They have brought in guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. Jackson, a 2021 Pro Bowl offensive lineman from Media, Pennsylvania was traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Bears for a sixth round pick in 2025. Jackson spent his first four seasons with the Detroit Lions.
Thuney, a guard from Centerville, Ohio was traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Chicago Bears for a fourth round pick in 2025. He was with the New England Patriots from 2016 to 2020, and the Chiefs since 2021. While with the Patriots, Thuney won Super Bowls in 2017 and 2019, and two more with the Chiefs in 2023 and 2024. He was selected to the Pro Bowl the last three seasons with the Chiefs.
Fantasy Stars
The Bears do not have any player ranked in the top 10 in any fantasy position.
Projected Finish
This is the first year for new Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who had significant success as an offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions last year. While Johnson was probably the most sought after head coach in the offseason, it is going to take time for him to turn things around in Chicago. The potential is there for him to do wonders with quarterback Caleb Williams–eventually. Chicago will remain last in the NFC North.
