The Chicago Bears internally graded their key players and members of the staff ahead of the offseason. They also addressed outside grades from PMPN.
Coaching
Head Coach Ben Johnson
B, he was brought in to do three things: Change the culture, develop talent (especially Caleb Williams), and win games. He did two of those things really well. Chicago’s culture has fully shifted from ground game and defense to air raid and shootouts, as well as Williams winning MVP, while the young skill players around him were elevated. However, the Bears finished 9-8, but more importantly, 5-8 in the final thirteen and 1-3 in the last four, proving Ben Johnson still has hurdles before he becomes a successful franchise leader.
Offensive Coordinator Antwan Randle El
A, the best hype man is also a talented coach. He may not call plays, but Randle El’s preparation tactics and experience had the offense ready every week, with the ability to adjust (outside of disaster against Cleveland). The Bears’ offense was one of the best in the league, and most mistakes were in execution, not in play design and scheme. Closest guy in Chicago to an A+, just get more out of the rush attack and help Caleb deliver more consistently.
Defensive Coordinator Fatt Eberflushdowndatoilet
F, Dennis Allen is doing far too well in real life for me to throw him under the bus in PML, so welcome Fatt to take the fall. The defense was pretty solid, nothing special, in their first four matches before Chicago’s early-season week five bye, but afterward, they were never the same. They lacked pass rush, run stuff, and tight coverage that had defined the Monsters of the Midway for so many decades. It’ll be a shock if Fatt is still employed by the opening kickoff of the 2026-2027 PML season.
Players
QB Caleb Williams
A-, the MVP comes up short of even an A because he threw too many interceptions and was the reason for one too many losses. However, he still had an unbelievable and dynamic season that positions himself as the savoir of the franchise he is poised to be.
HB D’Andre Swift
C+, Swift is an old (by RB standards) dog that can’t learn new tricks. He’s an agile runner who can’t get yards after contact, but can catch quite well. He’s far too expensive for a halfback with lower production, though.
WR Rome Odunze
A-, a top 5 WR in the league, but too many drops, especially on crucial downs. He and Caleb will be two peas in a pod all cycle and when they clean up their mistakes it’s one of the best connections ever.
WR Luther Burden III
B+, proved his worth as a second round rookie. His spot in the Ben Johnson scheme is normally the most unproductive as WR2 but not the starting slot receiver, but he overcame that with big games, including breaking the record for most receiving yards in a game by a Bear or any rookie with 276 in week 11. He’s here to stay with his athleticism and route running.
WR DJ Moore
A, WR3 but starting slot and occasional gadget running back, DJ had a great time in his new role in the new offense. He had almost 100 touches and used them to rack up 1000+ yards from scrimmage and thirteen touchdowns. For him to produce so much as the fourth receiving option is amazing. He also blocked amazing, opening lanes from the slot.
TE Colston Loveland
A, he more than justified being taken over Tyler Warren as the younger and faster prospect. 100 catches and well over 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns, Loveland was one of the best tight ends in the whole league, let alone rookie tight ends.
TE Cole Kmet
C-, Ben Johnson reaffirms Kmet’s role for blocking and play design, but he seemed to only have an impact in the first half of the season where all four of his touchdowns came. With just 250 receiving yards, he seems overpaid and underperforming.
LT Braxton Jones
C+, He was one of the best tackles in the league for most of the season and earned a lengthy extension, but his final stretch was less than ideal. He allowed 4 sacks in the final 6 games to reach a total of 6 on the season. He was elite for a majority of the season so the Bears will hope he isn’t a waste of cash.
RT Darnell Wright
B+, Similar to Jones, he didn’t close the season all that well, but was still a very effective tackle and help up well against the likes of Micah Parsons and Aiden Hutchinson. He’s up for an extension next season and could get a huge payday if he continues on this path.
LEDGE Montez Sweat
D, The staff must have beef with Tez personally, because he had 20 tackles for loss and still got four sacks, not a great season by any means, but a D feels harsh. Still, the team is clearly fed up with him not being an elite edge rusher at his pricetag.
REDGE Shemar Turner
C, he started the season quite strong (pre-patch), but fell off hard and fast, even getting shut out of the box score entirely some games. That inconsistency is worrying, but the flashes of greatness are what the Bears can focus on since he’s young.
DT Gervon Dexter Sr
B+, he also fell off after the early bye week (patch), but unlike Turner, he did still make impact plays on a weekly basis. He recorded 7 sacks and 18 TFL, making him a cornerstone for this defense to build around if they want to succeed.
DT Grady Jarrett
F, he’s already old as dino balls and he’s getting paid like he’s Aaron Donald, Jarrett was supposed to contribute, mentor, and lead. He did none of that as he was bad on the field, arguably worse than the low 70s DTs I swapped him with frequently. He also isn’t a mentor.
SAM Ruben Hyppolite II
B, a real surprise for Chicago after he was reached on heavily in the fourth round of last year’s draft. He was able to make plays and develop despite the bad defense, scoring two touchdowns off of interceptions, and getting home for some tackles for loss and a sack. A diamond in the rough who will only get better.
MIKE Tremaine Edmunds
C-, this beast is 6’5 250 pounds, but struggled to use it effectively when stopping the run. He’s also pretty athletic, but wasn’t athletic enough to keep up with tight ends and running backs. A second year in a row of disappointing play from Edmunds.
WILL TJ Edwards
A-, 30 tackles for loss. That’s really the story with Edwards, doing all he can to help the worst defense in the entirety of PML. The second and longs or third and shorts he generated weren’t converted by teammates, but he was a bright spot, 100%.
CB Jaylon Johnson
B, his contract is cheaper than most other top cornerbacks, so he gets a little leeway to underperform, but I wouldn’t even say he did underperform this season. 4 interceptions, plenty of pass deflections, and lots of plays his defender wasn’t open. He did tend to struggle the longer plays went on with his less than ideal speed.
CB Tyrique Stevenson
A-, A slow start to the season was expected after a horrible year last season, but Stevenson more than picked it up. He led the team in interceptions with eight, making the pro bowl. He cemented himself as the starter alongside Jaylon Johnson.
FS Kyler Gordon
B-, Kyler really excelled once he made his unofficial, soon to be official, switch to free safety. It hides his speed and lets him do what he’s best at, ball-hawking in zone coverage or coming up close to the line. He may be an elite nickel in real life, but he can be an elite safety in PML if he develops more.
SS Jaquan Brisker
C, we will find out soon if he earned an extension, he was benched but then came back and finished the season strong. Brisker was a phenom at Penn State and still has the swagger, but hasn’t always backed it up.
K Cairo Santos
D+, I don’t know if it’s the offense or the lack of trust, but Cairo Santos and the Bears only attempted 10 field goals all season, and only 8 were made. Chicago is a difficult place to kick, but that’s no excuse in a league where kickers are better than ever. Doesn’t help that Santos has quite the price tag for his position.
P Tory Taylor
A, he may never be worth the fourth round pick he was drafted as because he’s a punter, but d*** is he a good one. Executes kickoffs extremely well for Chicago, too. The Bears cherish their young aussie punting phenom.
LS Scott Daly
D-, Daly got injured which is the only thing my long snapper isn’t allowed to do since I had to scramble for a replacement and I use Kmet to long snap anyway. However, I’ll give him above an F simply for accidentally finding my cycle LS in his replacement, the young whippersnapper from Michigan, William Wagner.
RS Devin Duvernay
C, definition of a veteran journeyman. He only got so many snaps at receiver and not even a target this season, but did very solid at returner, both punts and kicks. He brought stability to a position that has been volatile in Chicago for quite some time between the greats of Devin Hester and Cordarrelle Patterson to the slums of Velus Jones Jr and Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
External Grades Via PMPN
The Premier Madden Programming Network
PMPN recently put out their grades for every team’s position groups and coaching staff, so we can see how Chicago’s internal grades matched up to the biggest sports network’s and the personalities who assigned them.
Coaching Staff: C-
Stephen A. Smith: “I’m not sold despite what Ben has done with Caleb. Where is the run game? Where is the defense? I don’t care if he’s an offensive mind it’s his team!”
QB Room: A
Cam Newton: “Earned that MVP being so dual-threat and executing a new system in his second year. Sky is clearly the limit once the defense does their job.”
WR + TE Room: B+
Peter Schrager: “Kmet should be praised for taking a step back so gracefully and letting Loveland be the guy. A great one-two punch between the pass game and run blocking.”
HB Room: C
Joe Buck: “D’Andre Swift struggled for the first half of the season, then picked it up some. But, truly no reliable help with Kyle Monangai and Roschon Johnson doing their best work in blowouts.”
OL Room: B
Damien Woody: “As a former offensive linemen, I can’t not be impressed with the level of play when having 9 different linemen start over the course of the season. That being said, Thuney, Dalman, and Jackson aren’t pulling their weight and the run game, especially in power situations, wasn’t great.”
DL Room: D+
Mina Kimes: “It was hard to watch this defensive line after the Bears’ week five bye. Chicago produced just 12 sacks in their final 13 games, with multiple of those coming from linebackers anyway. Gervon Dexter may have had a successful individual campaign, but this unit killed the team’s playoff hopes.”
LB Room: B
Kevin Connors: “The Bears had a dynamic mix of size, skill, and age between their starters and their special teamers. There was no weak link, but besides TJ Edwards against the run, no one stood out. Hyppolite made two unbelievable pick sixes, but aside from that there were major struggles in coverage. Tight ends loved this matchup.”
DB Room: F
Michael Wilbon: “Mina and I disagree, because did you see the separation and lack of awareness from these backs? Tyriqye Stevenson was advantageous but three of his interceptions came from one game. The worst pass defense, whether they were expecting pass or not.”
ST Unit: C+
Nick Saban: “I’m intrigued by the aussie punters, love em, and Tory Taylor is no exception. Cairo Santos may be losing his leg a bit with age, though. This is a talented unit though, they were one of the better teams in coverage, although not returning.”
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