Bears Offseason Preview: Impending Free Agents, Draft Picks, and Top Needs

In a season where the Chicago Bears thought they would be the 2024-25 Washington Commanders, they were, well, the Chicago Bears.

Caleb Williams couldn't live up to the unrealistic expectations of being an immediate savior. His up-and-down rookie campaign was marred by that very hype, as well as the mid-season firing of head coach Matt Eberflus part way through a 10-game losing streak.

Chicago's 5-12 record probably would have looked a bit different if they weren't entrenched in an unforgiving NFC North division. There is no momentum extinguisher quite like playing four games against the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings in a five-week span.

The Bears have young pieces that can make a turn for the better in 2025. They also have intriguing cap space and draft capital, as well as a head coach opening. They just need to use all those assets in the right way, something that has been easier said than done for this franchise.

Team's 2024 Schedule-Adjusted Rankings

• Overall Offense: 26th
• Pass Offense: 26th
• Rush Offense: 26th
• Overall Defense: 14th
• Pass Defense: 11th
• Rush Defense: 24th

Team's Impending 2025 Free Agents

• Keenan Allen, WR
• Darrell Taylor, OLB
• Coleman Shelton, C
• Amen Ogbongbemiga, LB
• Teven Jenkins, G
• Marcedes Lewis, TE
• Travis Homer, RB
• Patrick Scales, LS
• Jake Martin, OLB
• Deandre Carter, WR
• Matt Pryor, G
• Nsimba Webster, WR
• Chris Williams, DT (restricted free agent)
• Larry Borom, T
• Doug Kramer, C (exclusive rights free agent)
• Bill Murray, DT (exclusive rights free agent)
• Daniel Hardy, DE (exclusive rights free agent)
• Josh Blackwell, CB (restricted free agent)
• Jack Sanborn, LB (restricted free agent)
• Douglas Coleman, S (exclusive rights free agent)

Here's a look at the Bears' list of impending free agents, per Spotrac.

Keenan Allen's Pro Bowl days are likely behind him. He became a tried-and-true Chicago Bear after tossing an interception on an attempted trick play in Week 18. And although the veteran will turn 33 years old in 2025, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to see the Bears re-sign their 2024 touchdown leader.

Caleb Williams afforded Allen 10-plus targets in five games this season for a reason. When a young signal-caller finds a connection -- or at least comfort -- with a veteran, that's not a bad thing to keep intact. Allen provides leadership that Chicago lacks, as evidenced by his plea for the Bears to hire an experienced head coach this offseason. Allen has stated that he plans to play in either Chicago or Los Angeles next season.

The Bears can feel comfortable letting a lot of names on this list walk -- including Allen -- and they are projected to have the sixth-most salary cap space in the league this offseason. Teven Jenkins -- the 39th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- is a name worth retaining despite his injury struggles, though he's expressed some hesitancy in returning to Chicago.

Team's 2025 NFL Draft Picks

• 10th overall
• 2nd round (via Carolina Panthers)
• 2nd round
• 3rd round
• 5th round
• 6th round (via Pittsburgh Steelers)
• 7th round (via Cleveland Browns)
• 7th round (via Cincinnati Bengals)

(NOTE: This list does not include compensatory picks, which are typically announced in early March.)

The Bears enter the new year with eight picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Notably, they will make three selections in the top-41. Considering Chicago's need for O-line reinforcements, LSU's Will Campbell and Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. are ideal potential options with the tenth overall pick. Our Austin Swaim sees it going in that direction; his 2025 NFL Mock Draft has Chicago nabbing Banks at the 10th spot.

Team's Top Offseason Needs

• Offense-oriented head coach
• Offensive line
• WR Depth

Chicago's offensive line caught a ton of flack this season. That's what happens when your rookie quarterback gets sacked a whopping 68 times in a single season, 16 more times than the next-most quarterback. However, the Bears actually ranked ninth in pass blocking grade, per PFF.

Clearly, the onus isn't completely off Williams. That's a big reason why we're hoping to see the Bears bring in an offensive-minded head coach. Chicago has already requested to interview Lions OC Ben Johnson for the role.

The Bears churned out bottom-eight units in both rush offense and defense this season. While we can expect them to allocate their top three draft picks and cap space to building out the O-line -- impending free agent Trey Smith comes to mind -- it'd be nice to no longer look at a backfield that features D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson.

Then again, I wouldn't argue that receiving depth could be of more importance. D.J. Moore had a really weird season. We have more questions than answers on him heading into 2025. With Allen's status in limbo and Rome Odunze still learning, the Bears need to invite a new face into the WR room. Again, we should expect Chicago's top draft capital and any free agency splash to be allocated to the O-Line and a key defensive piece or two -- though that doesn't diminish the need for receiving depth.

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