The Chicago Bears are looking to take another leap forward in the 2026 season following a promising first year under head coach Ben Johnson.

Last year, Johnson made the divisive move from the Detroit Lions to their NFC North rivals, the Bears, but it was a move that worked out for the 40-year-old coach.

The Bears secured top spot in their division and beat bitter rivals the Green Bay Packers in the wild card round before narrowly losing to the Los Angeles Rams.

Caleb Williams is entering his third year in the NFL and was another to enjoy success in the 2025 season, with Johnson on the sideline.

However, the former first overall pick has been in need of some new weapons in the Bears offense to aim for.

Coach Johnson has looked to his former team, the Lions, and added Kalif Raymond to the Bears roster ahead of the new season.

Although the Bears ended the 2025 season with the sixth-best overall offense, it must be noted that Williams did not have a star wide receiver to rely upon.

The highest scoring offensive player in terms of receiving yards was tight end Colston Loveland, who ended the season with 713 yards.

There were three wide receivers who ended the regular season with over 600 receiving yards to their names.

It must be remembered that DJ Moore was traded to the Buffalo Bills for a healthy return of a second round pick.

However, that has seen the Bears’ top performing wide receiver from the 2025 season now off the roster.

There is now going to be huge pressure on the likes of Rome Odunze to really take his game up another level this year, with no blue chip receiver for Williams to depend upon.

Comparing Odunze’s 2025 output in comparison to the Offensive Player of the Year, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the gulf in numbers is huge.

The 2026 Bears offense is going to have to be incredibly well-rounded if they are going to show an improvement on last season, with the special teams also going to have a big role to play.

Special teams play a massive part in a successful team. You only have to look at the Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, and see how players like Rashid Shaheed transformed their season.

Having a return specialist like Kalif Raymond on the team will prove a huge addition for the Bears.

Playing for the Lions, Raymond secured second-team All-Pro honors in 2022 and 2024, where he was playing under Johnson during his spell as offensive coordinator.

The 31-year-old wide receiver has also played under the current assistant head coach of the Bears, Antwaan Randle El.

Solid relationships are already in place with some of the key figures at Soldier Field, which should make for a seamless transition for Raymond in Chicago.

Raymond will provide Johnson with an option at WR3, and his ability to provide Williams and the Bears offense with positive field position will prove extremely useful.

With no real standout wide receiver to aim for, starting possession as far up the field as possible will be a big positive for the third-year QB.

Heading into his 11th season, the veteran wide receiver should also be able to provide this fairly young Bears offense with some much-needed guidance.