ESPN drops the hammer on Chicago Bears’ off-season player movement in brutal power rankings

Alan Goldsher | Mar 24, 2025

Everybody loves the Chicago Bears' acquisition of All-Pro OG Joe Thuney. Except for ESPN. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The general consensus amongst the NFL cognoscenti is that the Chicago Bears crushed the off-season.

• The trade for All-Pro offensive guard Joe Thuney was met with huzzahs galore.

• Chicago’s free agent signings (center Drew Dalman and D-linemen Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo) earned them a plethora of A grades from experts across the NFL landscape.

• Even their on-the-D.L. signing of WR3 Olamide Zaccheaus drew some praise.

ESPN, however, wasn’t super-impressed.

Where Is the Love?

In a new post-free-agency power rankings, the fine folks at the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network gave GM Ryan Poles’ flurry of moves a big, fat whatever, slotting them in the 22nd spot—the same spot at which they sat before acquiring Thuney et al.

ESPN had the local beat writers focus on their team's most notable under-the-radar acquisitions, so Bears guru Courtney Cronin—rather than explain the lousy placement—was only allowed to say nice things about the Zaccheaus signing:

"The Bears got younger and faster at receiver behind their two top targets. Zaccheaus signed a  in Chicago after his bounce-back season with the Commanders (45 catches, 506 yards and three touchdowns). This is an inexpensive way to enhance the offense with a 27-year-old slot receiver who just played with another young quarterback.”

She’s not wrong. But ESPN, as a whole might, not be right.

Whither the NFC North?

Detroit, Green Bay, and Minnesota fared considerably better than Chicago, landing respectively, at third, ninth, and tenth—but are those rankings too high?

Probably.

• The Lions lost both of their top coordinators from 2024—Ben Johnson to the Bears, Aaron Glenn to the Jets—and made no splashy free agent signings.

• The Packers landed a nice guard in Aaron Banks and a speedy receiver/returner in Mecole Hardman, but no real game-changers.

• The Vikings arguably had an even better off-season than the Bears, inking D-linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, and O-linemen Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. Still, they’ll open the season with an unproven QB in J.J. McCarthy, and Chicago fans are well aware what can happen with an unproven quarterback.

Yes, the Bears roll into 2025 with question marks up the wazoo—Can their rookie head coach hang with the big boys? Can quarterback Caleb Williams make the sophomore jump? Will the rebooted trenches hold up?—but not enough questions to merit such a brutal ranking.