In the 2025 season, the Chicago Bears had five players with 60 or more targets, which was the first time they did that since 2020. Head coach Ben Johnson said that his pass plays have a primary receiver built into each call, and that first read varies from play to play. Heading into the second year of the offense, we\u2019ll still see Johnson ask quarterback Caleb Williams to spread the ball around, but I would not be surprised to see a couple of receivers separate themselves from the rest as they get more comfortable in the offense.<\/p>\n
One of those players I expect to get a higher target share is tight end Colston Loveland, who may have the best hands on the roster and is a mismatch on most routes he runs.<\/p>\n
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And the other is the first wide receiver I\u2019ll mention below.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how Chicago\u2019s receiver room currently shapes up.<\/p>\n
Luther Burden III \u2013 Signed through 2028 \u2013 Do you feel there\u2019s potential for something special to happen when Burden gets the ball? His play speed is different. His ability to stop and start and make defenders miss is something the Bears haven\u2019t had in a long time. An offseason injury slowed his acclimation to the offense, and he averaged only 15.9 snaps over his first seven games. But he earned the trust of his play caller and more than doubled that in the final eight games of the regular season (36.4). In the playoffs, he averaged 46 snaps per game in their two games.<\/p>\n
He had one big game in the first half of the season, that 3-catch, 101-yard performance against the Cowboys, but overall, through his first seven games, he amassed just 171 receiving yards.<\/p>\n
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But in his final eight regular-season games, he had 481 yards receiving, and I expect him to build off that and be the Bears\u2019 most productive wideout in 2026.<\/p>\n
Rome Odunze \u2013 Signed through 2027* \u2013\u00a0Odunze\u2019s foot clearly bothered him last year, as his numbers were down from his rookie season. But it didn\u2019t start out that way. Early on, he seemed like Caleb\u2019s favorite target, with five touchdowns in his first four games on 20 receptions for 296 yards.<\/p>\n
Rome first popped up on the injury list following the Week 8 game in Baltimore (heel), and he played through whatever ailments he felt (ankle\/foot) in the next five games, but in those games, he had just 13 catches for 188 yards and 1 TD. The Bears shut him down for their final five games of the regular season due to the stress fracture.<\/p>\n
He returned for the playoffs but admitted it was \u201ctough\u201d to manage the pain in their Wild Card win over Green Bay, saying, \u201cThere was soreness, but at this part of the season, it\u2019s all hands on deck and play through it. I\u2019ll ride it \u2018til the wheels fall off.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Odunze said he doesn\u2019t need surgery, and rest is all he needs for the fracture to heal.<\/p>\n
*Bears have the fifth-year option available in 2028<\/p>\n
Jahdae Walker \u2013 Signed through 2027 \u2013 Walker, a 2025 UDFA out of Texas A&M, had a nice camp, looked good in the preseason, so the Bears kept him on the 53-man roster all season long. He was inactive for eight games and played only 61 special teams snaps and 86 offensive snaps, but he\u2019ll always have this one.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the people that haven\u2019t been in the building, it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh my gosh, you\u2019re going to the undrafted rookie on fourth down?\u2019 We see what he does every week,\u201d Ben Johnson said via NBC Sports<\/a> after that big December comeback against the Packers. \u201cWe see how he goes about his business. There\u2019s a reason we didn\u2019t expose him to the waiver wire and someone poach him after the preseason. We see a bright future for this guy, and he\u2019s done nothing but steadily improve over the course of the season. The coaches trust him. Caleb trusts him.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Olamide Zaccheaus \u2013 Free agent \u2013 Zaccheaus is a solid pro, and he quickly gained Johnson\u2019s trust during the offseason.<\/p>\n Devin Duvernay \u2013 Free agent \u2013\u00a0Duvernay is a sure-handed returner, and another one-year deal could make sense.<\/p>\n JP Richardson \u2013 Signed through 2026 \u2013 Richardson, another 2025 UDFA, spent last season on the practice squad.<\/p>\n Maurice Alexander \u2013 Signed through 2026 \u2013\u00a0I thought we\u2019d see some Alexander last season after he came over from the Lions, but he spent the whole year on the practice squad.<\/p>\n DJ Moore \u2013 Signed through 2029 \u2013\u00a0I saved Moore for last, because no Bears player has more rumors circling around him than he does. Moore\u2019s contract extension made sense at the time, as he was the most dynamic ofensive player for Matt Eberflus\u2019 team, but When \u2018Flus was flushed and Ben Johnson was hired, everything was going to change.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n