Superlatives for the Chicago Bears' 2025 NFL Season

Most confusing position group: Wide receivers

Remember when I mentioned Loveland having a few uncharacteristic drops against Los Angeles? The Bears' receiver room committed a few characteristic ones every week. Every. Single. Game. I know there were a few instances where Williams (who has an absolute cannon) might've been rifling the ball too hard instead of throwing with more touch, but the main job for an NFL receiver is to hold on to the ball. Chicago's receiver room failed at that far too often this season.

Why do I label them 'confusing' and not 'disappointing'? For starters, they're a very talented group. DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Luther Burden III honestly rival any three-receiver set across the league. They each made more than their fair share of plays when the ball came their way this season and simply struggled in the drop department. They had a significant Jekyll/Hyde performance this season, and Williams' numbers suffered mightily as a result.

MVP: Caleb Williams

Speaking of Caleb Williams, how could anyone else be named the team MVP other than the ICEMAN himself? Williams put the team on his back time and time again this season, and he was the reason they were able to pull off some of the miraculous comebacks they did. While he fell just short of the always-elusive (and completely arbitrary) 4000-yard mark, he did manage to set the franchise record for passing yards.

More importantly, Williams left no doubt that he is the team's unquestioned franchise quarterback. He also established himself as one of the league's best young signal callers and most exciting QBs in the league. When it comes to escapability and having a knack for incredible off-platform throws, he is truly one of one (and that includes the guy playing in Kansas City).

Biggest disappointment: Kyler Gordon

Unfortunately, a few players make sense for this one, and almost all of them play on the defensive side of the ball. I nearly went with Dayo Odeyingbo based on the massive contract the front office paid him this offseason, but many actually expected that signing to go awry. I don't think anyone expected star nickelback Kyler Gordon to play a career-low 117 defensive snaps in the regular season, though.

While Gordon was healthy for the team's two playoff games, he looked rusty and out of shape (which isn't all that surprising considering he played 117 snaps this year) against Green Bay and got relegated to backup duty against Los Angeles. Gordon has been one of the best players on defense whenever healthy since his sophomore season, and I have no doubts he will bounce back (if he can stay on the field) in 2026. Still, it's difficult to call his 2025 NFL season anything other than an utter disappointment.

Biggest surprise: Nahshon Wright

Fortunately, there were also a few players who wound up being pleasant surprises. C.J. Gardner-Johnson was a huge midseason pickup, Ozzy Trapilo ran with the left tackle job after getting a shot there in Week 12, andD'Marco Jackson played really well at linebacker after the group was decimated with injuries. Still, the biggest surprise would have to be Nahshon Wright. In fact, you could make an argument that he was the biggest surprise across the entire NFL this season.

Wright was playing on the Vikings' practice squad last year. No one batted an eye when he wasgosigned to a one-year, $1.1 million deal in April. He might not even have gotten a shot to play if three of the Bears' top four corners didn't suffer injuries before the season began. He received a prime opportunity to make a name for himself, though. The 27-year-old took it and ran with it. Wright finished the season with five interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. He played too well to be taken off the field, even when the starters returned to the lineup. Wrightmade himself a LOT of money this offseason.

Angriest runner (in the entire NFL) award: Kyle Monangai

I couldn't justify giving the honor of best rookie or biggest surprise to anyone other than Loveland or Wright, but Kyle Monangai deserves his flowers, too. I had to give the seventh-round pick some form of recognition, and this description feels apt.

Monangai vastly outperformed the expectations set out for him and became one of the top rookie running backs in an absolutely loaded class. While he might not look all that imposing at 5'8" and 207 pounds, he ran like a bowling ball. An angry bowling ball of butcher knives. He proved to be the perfect complement to D'Andre Swift and routinely made defenders pay for attempting to tackle him one-on-one.