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Can Caleb Williams and the Bears Shock the NFC North in 2025?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Luke Easterling | Last updated May 21, 2025 2:55 PM ET

Last offseason, Chicago Bears fans enjoyed tons of hope and excitement following the addition of quarterback Caleb Williams as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, as well as other roster additions that made them look like a much-improved team on paper.

There were flashes of lofty potential from Williams and the Bears last season, but it wasn't enough to overcome coaching struggles from a lame-duck staff that was jettisoned after a disappointing 5-12 finish.

The Bears cleaned house in the coaching ranks this time around, landing the biggest fish on the market in former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, poaching one of the league's most innovative and creative minds from a division rival, and hopefully giving Williams the kind of support system he needs to reach his lofty potential.

But just how high can Chicago climb in 2025, considering the stiff competition they're likely to face within their own division?

On the latest episode of "Best Podcast Available," I sat down with Carmen Vitali of Fox Sports to break down all things NFC North, and as a Chicago native who grew up a die-hard Bears fan, Vitali still won't believe the team can truly contend until she sees the evidence on the field.

"I've always said that I can't give this team the benefit of the doubt until I see something," Vitali said. "I will say that this is the most optimistic I've found myself in a long, long time, because of the fact that the Bears are behaving completely differently than they have in the past."

Vitali highlighted that while the flashy additions of last offseason were exciting on the surface, she still had big questions about the trenches on both sides of the ball with the Bears, and those concerns proved to be well-founded when watching how and where the team struggled in 2024.

This time around, the Bears were aggressive in pursuing high-quality veterans to improve the offensive line, trading for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson to upgrade both guard spots, and signing the top free-agent center on the market in Drew Dalman. Those moves, combined with some underrated additions to Johnson's new coaching staff, have Vitali encouraged about Chicago's chances of delivering on the hype and finding on-field success.

How soon will fans see those tangible results, though?

"I'm optimistic that they're gonna be better this year, but are they in the conversation for winning this division? I don't think so yet," Vital admitted. "I can't, in good conscience say that, A. Because I'm scarred, from growing up where I did and being a fan of this team my whole life; and also because this is such a tough division, and these other teams in the division are just further along than the Bears are right now."

Vitali does see a better record in store for Bears fans this time around, but is it a winning record? Will it be enough to contend for a wild-card spot?

Check out the full episode of BPA to find out, and also hear Vitali's thoughts on the rest of the teams in the NFC North heading into the 2025 season: