Following a greatly disappointing season in 2024, the Chicago Bears brought in the most coveted offensive coach in Ben Johnson. This offense has former first overall pick Caleb Williams at quarterback and weapons around him with DJ Moore and two more first-round picks in Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland. They also brought in three elite interior offensive linemen, transforming this offensive line from poor in 2024 to elite in 2025.
There is no reason for this offense not to be great this year. Not just good. Not just showing flashes. Great.
The Bears showed their potential in their most recent preseason game vs the Buffalo Bills, where Williams went 5/6 for 97 yards and a touchdown in the first drive. This is preseason, so it is important not to put too much stock into this performance. This helps confirm that Johnson is the coach the stats said he would be in Detroit, and that Williams can be the quarterback he was touted to be.
Leading the Detroit Lions in 2024, Johnson brought elite production. They led the league in scoring with 33.2 points per game. Next closest were the Buffalo Bills with 2.3 fewer points per game. The Lions were also second in yards per game, second in passing yards per game, and sixth in rushing yards per game. This was arguably the best offense in football.
Johnson runs an offense that is very quarterback-friendly. First reads get open. A lot of easy throws and screens are designed with lots of yards after catch potential. He will help Williams reach his potential, and he already showed that he can speed up his pass clock and get the ball out fast in the preseason game. Williams struggled with holding onto the ball for too long, which does not seem like it will be an issue under his new head coach.
Johnson got the most out of his talent in Detroit. Expect him to be able to do the same in Chicago. What was shown in this preseason game was very vanilla. No, Williams runs. No Moore in the backfield. Nothing special or unique that Johnson is known for. Regardless, the drive was still very effective. Now imagine what this offense will look like with the added creativity.
Williams’ stock in the public eye is incredibly low right now. It should not be forgotten that he has talent. He broke out onto the scene as a true freshman at Oklahoma and was immediately a game-changer. Following this, He followed his former head coach, Lincoln Riley, to USC and won a Heisman. He, then, became the first overall pick. The talent he has not just gone away. He still has one of the most special arms we have ever seen. He has an elite ability to evade sacks with his legs. A poor rookie season has swayed public perception. While yes, some of this is warranted, the pendulum has swung too far against Williams.
The pass catchers on this team are also very talented. There are three first-rounders in Moore, Odunze, and Loveland. Moore has already seen four 1000-yard seasons and is one of the best yards after catch receivers in the league. Two more are second-rounders in Luther Burden and Cole Kmet, along with a second-round running back in D’Andre Swift.
All of these players have unique abilities that Johnson will use in this offense. They were all drafted high for a reason. The talent on this team is that of a contender.
The talent catching passes was never a concern for analysts in 2024. It was always the offensive line. The interior was completely turned over in 2024, headlined by all-pro guard Joe Thuney. The offensive line not only looks great on paper but has also flashed in training camp and preseason.
There is no weak spot on this Bears’ offense outside of maybe running back. No need to worry about this, however, as they have more than enough talent on the offense to make it work. Even if the run game struggles, screens can pick up the slack. With this offensive line, it is not likely this will be the case, and the run game should be strong.
Williams saw a boost in fantasy scoring after his former OC Waldron got fired after nine games, from 14.2 fantasy ppg to 17.2 without him. In 2021, Jared Goff had 14.2 fantasy ppg without Johnson. This was bumped to 17.1 ppg with Johnson in their first full season together in 2022. Better offenses lead to better fantasy production. Expect Williams to see another boost with Johnson calling plays in 2025.
Moore also saw a boost post Waldron firing, scoring 17.4 ppg, with scoring only 11.1 ppg with Waldron. Now this happened in large part due to Moore’s usage once Waldron was not at the helm. Johnson is known to call creative screen plays and create yards after catch for his players. Moore is made for a coach like Johnson. Expect this pairing to do very well in 2025.
This offense should only be getting better and converting more first downs, gaining more yards, and scoring more touchdowns. That goes to everyone. Each player in this offense should be seeing a fantasy boost. As for which one will be the most valuable is still up in the air.
Johnson supported five high-level skill position players when he was in Detroit, with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, Sam Laporta, and David Montgomery all becoming fantasy relevant. In Chicago, this could be Moore, Loveland, Odunze, Burden, and Swift. If this offense is as good as it should be, all of these players can be very fantasy relevant, along with their quarterback, Williams.
Expectations for the Bears have been high since Johnson took the role. This is for good reason. This, paired with the offseason moves, is setting Chicago up to be one of the best offenses in the league immediately. I expect them to be high-level.
Just look at the 2024 Washington Commanders. When a young, talented quarterback gets a talented play caller and has talent around them, they succeed. The Bears now have a better offensive line, a better supporting cast of receivers, and a better play caller. I saw Williams as a much better prospect than Jayden Daniels out of college, and while Daniels was much better in his rookie season, what is stopping Williams in 2025?
The answer is nothing. Either the haters are right about , or we are about to watch one of the most fun talents in the league break out in a big way.
As far as fantasy goes, I think it is a good strategy to take any Chicago player at value. My favorite of the bunch is Loveland. He was drafted 10th overall for a reason. He is a supreme talent playing in an offense that is about to explode. The real icing on the cake with him is that he is going after Moore and Odunze, whilst also playing at a premium position in tight end.
Any Bears player is a good pick, however, in my opinion. Moore provided WR1 value once Waldron got fired, and expecting a jump with Johnson is not ridiculous. He is going in the fourth and fifth rounds, making him a potential league-winning value. The same thing goes for Odunze; while he didn’t produce in 2024, the talent is still there, and he should be in line for more targets with the departure of Keenan Allen.
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