Bear Digest

Former NFL GM calls Chicago Bears an "instant contender" after 2025 offseason moves

The Chicago Bears continue to be viewed as the most improved team in the NFL following early moves in the 2025 offseason.

Bryan Perez

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The amount of respect the Chicago Bears have earned after what's been an aggressive start to the 2025 NFL offseason is something this team isn't all that used to. Normally, the Bears are the butt of league-wide jokes. But after the number of talented and calculated roster moves made by general manager Ryan Poles, Chicago has entered a new era.

Former NFL general manager and past NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock appeared on the Rich Eisen Show recently and added to the mountain of praise the Bears have received.

"I think the team that did what they needed to do the most was Chicago," Mayock said. "Because Caleb Williams is a big-time talent, there's a lot of skill position talent on that roster, but the offensive line wasn't very good. Ryan Poles is a former offensive lineman, Ben Johnson is coming from a place where they prioritized offensive line. They went out and got three offensive linemen, they traded.

"What I love most about it, of course, the talent infusion is critical, but he [Williams] is going to have three interior offensive linemen setting the edge right in front of him, even better than that, the communication amongst those three guys that will then leak back to the quarterback, it's going to be unbelievable. Those three moves [offensive line] I thought were critical and make Chicago an instant contender."

Say what you will about Mayock, whose time with the Las Vegas Raiders ended terribly, but there's no doubt he's viewed as one of the brightest minds in the game. His rise from media analyst to general manager was remarkable, and while his first trip through the GM circuit was a failure, his opinion warrants attention.

The biggest takeaway from Mayock's comments is how the improved offensive line won't just be revealed through better pass protection; the communication with Caleb Williams -- the fact he doesn't have to figure everything out on his own anymore -- will allow him to play faster and freer in his second season.

The Chicago Bears are climbing NFL Power Rankings after what's been a spectacular offseason, which is expected to get even better after they add three instant-impact rookies in the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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