#chicago-bears

#chicago-bears

When injuries sidelined fellow cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, the Bears needed Stevenson to stabilize one side of the secondary. Instead, Stevenson delivered mixed results. There were moments when the 25-year-old cornerback flashed. Strong outings against the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders early in the season showed the physical press corner that Chicago's front office envisioned when they used a second-round pick (56th overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft on the University of Miami product.

Waking up in time to watch the Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Game and not having to get out of bed to witness the US victory over Canada (because I could stream the game on my phone) was a nice technology win. It is the first US men's hockey gold medal win since 1980. To say it is long overdue would be an understatement. And now that I'm thinking of it, you know who else won a championship in the 1980s.

It's a shame to get rid of a player who grew up near the Windy City, but it's pretty clear that Amegadjie isn't in the Bears' plans going forward. The 2024 third-round pick likely would have been cut in last season's training camp if not for his Day 2 draft upside. His struggles blocking in space led the Bears to start working him at guard instead of tackle.

Kyler Gordon's 2025 season never really got off the ground. Injuries limited him to just five appearances between the regular season and playoffs. It was a frustrating development for a player expected to anchor the secondary, especially with his three-year, $40 million extension set to kick in beginning in 2026. Kyler Gordon's 2025 Snapshot Instead of building on his trajectory, Gordon spent most of the year rehabbing, leaving questions about durability hanging over what was supposed to be a stabilizing season.

It didn't take too long for the Chicago Bears to name Ian Cunningham's replacement. Jeff King is the Bears' new assistant general manager. King takes the place of Cunningham, who left for the Atlanta Falcons general GM gig in late January. Elevating King into a new role as the right-hand man for GM Ryan Poles provides some stability and continuity at the top of the front office.

The NFL won't officially announce compensatory draft picks until later, but the league is making it clear that the Chicago Bears will not be getting one despite losing former assistant general manager Ian Cunningham to the Atlanta Falcons, who hired him as their general manager in late January. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio shared what he heard directly from the league when asked about the situation.

After missing rookie minicamp, OTAs, and the early portion of training camp with a hamstring injury, Burden entered the season playing catch-up. Rather than rushing the process, he focused on building trust with offensive play-caller Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams, and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El. That patience paid off. As the season progressed, Burden transitioned from a rotational weapon into a reliable weekly target, no longer resembling a first-year player by the stretch run.

Keenan Allen's time with the Chicago Bears was short-lived, but memorable. Allen caught 70 passes for 744 yards in 15 games with Chicago in 2024. He caught seven touchdowns and threw the most random interception you'll ever see. But more than that, he provided a security blanket for Caleb Williams as a rookie quarterback and leadership for a team that needed it in the worst way.

A knee injury sidelined Booker for the first eight weeks of the season, but he made his presence known quickly, recording a sack and forced fumble in his season debut against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. Booker was held out of the sack column on the stat sheet in his next five games, but finished the season strong. Headlined by a two-sack performance against the Cleveland Browns in December, Booker finished the season on a high note with a stellar five-game run.

In addition to his ball-hawking skills, Kevin Byard III provided the Chicago Bears with invaluable leadership, often placing him at the center of pre-game huddles as the team rattled off 11 wins en route to an NFC North title and a playoff victory against the Green Bay Packers. The veteran safety is on an expiring contract. So if 2025 was Byard's final season in Chicago, he'll be missed by Bears fans.

When I was getting the call, my TV was a little delayed, and the Chicago Bears, I thought that they were up. And when I got the phone call I thought that it was the Chicago Bears. And they told me it was the New England Patriots, I was smiling but my heart sunk at the same time. Because during the draft process everyone was telling me Patriots is the last team, the last one that you want to go to.

While the Bears found success with Montez Sweat, their edge pass-rush rotation was otherwise limited, as no other edge rusher with at least 100 pass-rush snaps posted a pass-rush win rate above 10%. Ultimately, Chicago finished just 29th in pressure rate (31.1%) during the regular season, highlighting the need for a game-breaking presence off the edge. Reuniting Hendrickson with his former defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, makes sense.

He had a tremendous season. He was an absolute turnover machine. The Bears, they didn't do a great job between the 20s. OK? The ball was move a lot. But when it came down to turning the ball over, they were better than every team in the league and he was a huge reason why. Intercepting passes, strip sacks, fumbles, fumble recoveries. What he did on a vet minimum contract or something like that, but

If last offseason was about rebuilding the Chicago Bears' offense, this one is shaping up to be about stabilizing and reshaping the defense. A year ago, Ryan Poles attacked the offensive line from every angle, adding four new starters through a mix of the draft, free agency, and trades. The result was tangible progress. This offseason calls for a similar approach on the other side of the ball, where needs are both obvious and unavoidable. That's what makes this weekend in Mobile so important.