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Bears offense gets brutal reality check in latest ESPN rankings

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 3:14 PM ET

With the way the Chicago Bears' front office conducted their offseason this year, it would seem that they're going all-in on ending their 14-year drought without a playoff win, or at least put a playoff win within grasp. The Bears hired the hottest head coaching candidate, offensive guru Ben Johnson, and spared no expense in doing so. They completely revamped the interior of their offensive line, which included a trade for 4-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, and drafted two pass catchers with sky-high potential.

As a result, everywhere you look you'll find fans and analysts who think the Bears are about to start their ascent into playoff contention. Well, almost everywhere.

Bill Barnwell, an NFL analyst for ESPN, is not buying the hype. Not this time. In fact, he ranks Chicago's collection of receivers, tight ends, and running backs is among the league's worst.

Barnwell did sing the praises of new head coach Ben Johnson, saying "The arrival of new coach Ben Johnson suggests the offense will be put in much better positions to succeed, and indeed, it will hardly be a shock if the Bears go from one of the league's worst schemes to one of its best... Johnson excelled in finding ways to maximize the talents of his running backs and tight ends in Detroit, though, and that might be what makes the Bears."

But even the arrival of a highly regarded offensive mind like Johnson isn't enough to get Barnwell onboard the hype train. In what sounds like a simple yet powerful justification for ranking Chicago so low (25th overall) despite being confident in their new head coach, Barnwell added, "There are reasons to be optimistic about Chicago's playmakers, but that was also the case a year ago."

It's that simple. Neutral observers have grown tired of getting excited for the Chicago Bears only to be disappointed in consecutive years. 2023 was supposed to be Justin Fields' ascension year, when he finally put it all together and became a franchise quarterback. He's now on his third team in three years . Last season, drafting Caleb Williams first overall was supposed to solve all of Chicago's woes and get them back into the playoffs. They fired the head coach midseason for the first time in franchise history.

Apparently, Barnwell has had enough of that. As he notes in his rankings to prove he's not a hater, he had Chicago at No. 6 overall last season and No. 17 the year before. He's bought what the Bears have been selling for the last two years, but no more. He wants to see it on the field before he gives them any credit.

Bears fans might not like it, but that's just where we are right now. Things look super promising for Chicago as the 2025 season approaches, and there is a reasonable case to be made that the hype is different and more legitimate this time around, but most of us need to see it before we can truly believe it.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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