Bears takeaways from the NFL combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Confirmed: the Bears’ window to contend is wide open. That was the sentiment percolating through the NFL combine — intrigue and optimism surrounding the Bears that hasn’t existed in this setting since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bears’ 2025 results — 11 victories, an NFC North championship, a wild-card round win over the Packers — turned more than a few heads. More specifically, the playmaking gifts of quarterback Caleb Williams and leadership chops of coach Ben Johnson have caught the league’s attention, with the Bears identified now as one of the NFL’s most promising teams, even as they battle within an ultra-competitive division and inside an NFC mosh pit that includes the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks along with the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

As one league source offered with zero prompting: “The Chicago Bears are going to be a problem. I’m telling you.”

One opposing assistant coach echoed a sentiment that has become obvious in Chicago.

“Ben has it,” he said.

The Athletic has plenty to unpack after an extended stay in Indianapolis, having gathered more than a few pieces of valuable intel. From the DJ Moore’s uncertain future to the quest to strengthen the defense to the league-wide review of QB1, here’s our download from all we heard and observed within the Indiana Convention Center and in hotels and restaurants across town.

Will DJ Moore be a Bear in ’26?

General manager Ryan Poles made zero promises and even expressed uncertainty that Moore would remain on the roster beyond spring, a signal that the 28-year-old receiver isn’t off limits when it comes to trade talks.

It’s complicated, though. And it’s important to emphasize that all the praise Poles and Johnson poured on Moore at the combine wasn’t just fodder for a brochure intended to lure potential suitors. The Bears’ coaches and front office value Moore’s intelligence, versatility and underrated durability.

The Bears do not discount Moore’s toughness, especially at a position like receiver. He is also well-regarded inside the locker room. But the Bears have a salary-cap situation to massage, plus the responsibility of investigating a mystery that confounds many league observers. Why hasn’t Moore been more productive with Williams after enjoying success with an array of less-talented quarterbacks?

One opposing coach, who likens Moore to Deebo Samuel, sensed on tape that Moore and Williams didn’t have a strong connection. That chemistry has not looked as successful as the link between Williams and Rome Odunze.

Added another league source: “It’s clear to me Caleb doesn’t have a ton of trust in DJ. I don’t think DJ has lost a step or anything like that. All the physical ability is still there. But at times, that’s what it boils down to. If your quarterback, for whatever reason, doesn’t have that trust, there becomes a disconnect.”

One GM labeled Moore “a really good ball-in-hand guy” and “a big-play spark.” Another assistant coach praised Moore’s talent with “on-the-move routes,” seeing a playmaker “still very capable of performing at a high level.”

When asked to assess Moore, who had career-low production in 2025, Poles pointed out the newness of Johnson’s system as well as the ball-distribution dynamics with the Bears offense having more reliable pass-catching options than they did in Moore’s first two seasons in Chicago.

Within the team, there seems to be a sense that Moore will be back. But no one could rule out the possibility of him playing elsewhere if a good deal materializes. To that end, Moore’s $28.5 million salary-cap hit for next season is a factor. Any interested suitor would likely be pursuing a trade with the hope that Moore could be an asset for at least two seasons.

Some anticipate significant outside interest in the veteran receiver, estimating that a fourth-round pick or a conditional third could be more than enough to satisfy the Bears, particularly once A.J. Brown’s future in Philadelphia becomes clearer.

Said one source: “If you’re in the A.J. Brown market and Philly moves him but you’re a team that loses out, DJ feels like a pretty comfortable fallback.”

What the league thinks of QB1

The notion that the Bears can’t expect to carry their 2025 success into 2026 is on point. And Johnson has been intentional about hammering that home. Yet, although the team’s results from last season may already be erased like a shaken Etch A Sketch, the Bears built confidence that should offer a tailwind heading into next season.

Williams, in particular, not only earned the belief of coaches and teammates with his late-game magic — including seven game-winning drives and a montage of jaw-dropping highlights in the clutch — he also put the rest of the league on notice.

One opposing coach singled out Williams’ mettle when reflecting on how the quarterback performed last season. “He’s still at his best off-schedule, but he has the moxie,” the coach said.

Interpreting conversations across the league, it has become clear that Williams has earned his reputation as “dangerous.”

“I never saw him flinch,” one personnel man said. “That’s what you respect most. You could feel that confidence that he is never out of a game. There aren’t a lot of quarterbacks who operate that way.”

That same source referred to Williams’ off-schedule playmaking as “obscene.”

“The best I’ve seen,” he said. “Better than (Patrick) Mahomes. And I still don’t think his full arsenal has been fully unlocked.”

With Williams, it’s not just the Bears who now understand that they are never out of a game. Opponents now feel it, too, adding a psychological component to every game the Bears play. Said one AFC exec: “With guys like him, you feel constant pressure to have a two-score lead. And even when you have that, you’re not comfortable.”

That discomfort is real and, at times, suffocating for an opponent. For the Bears, the belief in Williams can offer a stimulant.

“Even inside of a game where you’re not playing well and your offense isn’t doing anything, as soon as you get that one score, you can almost feel it from the other side: ‘Oh, f —. Here we go,’” the exec said.

Another coach who watched Williams in crossover tape noted how tough it became for defenses to “limit the magic.”

Williams still has room for improvement, no doubt. The Bears will push him to increase his completion percentage, become more efficient and grow more comfortable with Johnson’s system and all that is being asked of him. Additional questions exist about how Williams will handle the spoils of success, some of which he experienced last season. There’s also curiosity in assessing whether he can become more potent as a quick-rhythm passer and more effective at handling the humdrum duties of the position.

“That stuff has to be a nonstop emphasis,” the AFC exec said. “But their coach is as smart as anyone in the league. So if anyone can get it out of him, he can.”

One personnel man offered a separate endorsement: “Ben has done a fantastic job of not taking Caleb’s playmaking gifts away. You never feel like he is playing with reins on. You can see he’s still playing with freedom. So if he continues to buy in, and the city of Chicago doesn’t swallow him up, he can write his entire future.”

‘I can’t see that coach failing’

Rest easy, Chicago. Ben Johnson’s disdain for the Green Bay Packers remains right where he left it, inside a crackling fire the Bears coach isn’t afraid to spit gasoline on. While making the rounds of the interview circuit last week, Johnson stopped by the set of “Pro Football Talk,” where host Mike Florio prodded him for a better understanding of why his contempt for the Packers has been so pronounced and public.

“Who likes the Packers?” Johnson said with a laugh, making it hard to decipher how much of the vitriol is raw emotion and how much is aimed at riling up a rival fan base.

“The Bears and the Packers should not like each other,” Johnson continued. “I think it’s as simple as that. I think that’s going to make this rivalry and this game something people are going to watch here going forward.”

So has there been any conversation — or any relationship at all — with Packers coach Matt LaFleur?

“No. We don’t talk.”

Perfect. Yet another glimpse into the competitive edge Johnson used to win over bosses, assistants and players during his first year at Halas Hall.

Poles praised Johnson last week not only for his football intelligence but also for his ability to motivate a locker room. Such commendation spreads far outside Chicago, too.

One opposing coach offered an observation about the Bears’ offense that hasn’t been said since … forever? “They have an identity.”

Another opposing assistant coach marveled at the way Johnson committed to the run, especially in an era in which so many offensive-minded coaches want to throw, throw, throw.

One source offered this: “Just looking at it from afar, I can’t see that coach failing. He has a standard. He established it. And he upholds it.”

Changes coming at linebacker

The Bears have had the same starting duo at linebacker for three seasons. One backup has been with the team since 2023. Now comes an offseason of change.

Tremaine Edmunds has been given permission to seek a trade, which can often be a precursor to being released. The Bears need bodies at linebacker, with Edmunds likely gone, D’Marco Jackson a free agent and Noah Sewell coming off a late-season Achilles injury. Poles expressed optimism that T.J. Edwards, who suffered a fractured fibula in the playoff win over the Packers, will be back at some point this offseason.

“Speed” was the trait that came up when asking around about filling that weakside linebacker spot in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s scheme. The Bears do have a linebacker whose top attribute is speed in Ruben Hyppolite II, but he played only 31 snaps on defense in his rookie season. Still, it’ll be worth watching his development this spring and summer.

The Bears have 15 free agents on defense — 16 if Edmunds is cut. One league source pointed out that with the cap constraints, the defense’s development shouldn’t be ignored. There will be several new faces.

Will Kevin Byard be back?

On the back end, safety Kevin Byard stood out as the player league sources expected to be the Bears’ priority to re-sign. A team captain and first-team All-Pro, there wasn’t much hesitation over where Byard stacks up with Jaquan Brisker, Nahshon Wright and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

“Kevin’s a special player,” Poles said in January. “I have no problem saying that’s a player we would like to have back. But, again, when you add the other safeties into that mix and all the other decisions we have across the roster, with cap restraints and things like that, it’ll be a challenge.”

Even coming off a season in which he led the NFL with seven interceptions, Byard’s market might not be as robust as he’d hoped. One league source believes the Bears could potentially bring him back on a deal similar to the two-year, $15 million package he originally arrived with. Byard will turn 33 in training camp and still doesn’t register league-wide in the Kyle Hamilton, Budda Baker, Kerby Joseph, Derwin James class at the position.

“That’s a very, very select group,” the source said. “After that, it falls off. That market should play in the Bears’ favor.”

Quick hits

• Johnson seems thrilled to have Press Taylor as his new offensive coordinator, as the successor to Declan Doyle. Taylor, who was the Bears’ passing game coordinator last season, will slide into a demanding supporting role that will include serving as a megaphone to echo Johnson’s messaging.

As for a somewhat-biased testimonial? The floor belongs to Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor, Press’ older brother and a former coaching colleague of Johnson’s in Miami:

“Those are two people who do it the right way who will work really well together. … Press is ready for that. Like everybody, he has had bumps in his career. Now he’s at a point where I’m happy he’s there. I think Chicago is a great organization with a great head coach, and I’m happy to see him flourish there.”

• While discussing the Bears’ resurgence, an opposing coach commented on how much better suited right tackle Darnell Wright was for this offense. “He’s best in this scheme where he can go downhill and punish, and it’s better when he doesn’t have to be the guy on that line,” he said. Wright will certainly get the fifth-year option activated for the 2027 season, which the league said on Friday will be $19.072 million for those who reached playtime criterion but did not make a Pro Bowl.

• There were a few whispers about the possibility of the Bears being the road team for an Atlanta Falcons game in Spain. It seemed unlikely that the Bears would give up a home game for the second time in three years after “hosting” the Jaguars in London in 2024, but if the league wanted one of the teams with marketing rights in Spain to play there in ’26, this would be one way to get the Bears across the pond.

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