Ben Johnson taking over as the head coach of the Chicago Bears immediately came with a ton of changes to the roster. Wanting to replicate some of the recipes that led to the Detroit Lions’ offensive success, Johnson has been making moves left, right, and center all through free agency.
The main area of emphasis for Johnson was improving an offensive line that struggled at times in 2024, finishing 14th by PFSN’s OL+ metric. Compare that to Detroit having one of the five best, and the difference was clear as day. Now, one analyst believes the next step for Chicago is to add more weapons for their potential franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams.
Chicago Bears Predicted To Take Blue-Chip Tight End
The focus on the offensive line shone through with trades adding Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson to their interior. Next came a deal for Drew Dalman to make him the new center for Williams to collect snaps from.
Legendary NFL Draft expert and analyst Todd McShay believes the next step is adding offensive firepower for their young quarterback. Last year, they picked receiver Rome Odunze in Round 1. This year McShay has them going after Penn State tight end Tyler Warren with the 10th pick.
Last year, the 30th-ranked offense in the league on PFSN’s Offense+ metric had a tight end problem with Cole Kmet leading the team in receptions and receiving yards with 47 and 474, respectively. However, beyond that, not a single tight end tallied more than 36 total yards on the year.
In the modern NFL, that reads as an abomination and something Johnson and the Bears will be looking to correct. Enter Warren, a legitimate blue-chip prospect who had 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns last year, almost one-third of the total 25 touchdowns of his collegiate career.
Breaking down his scouting report, Pro Football Network’s Reese Decker promptly called him “an elite prospect” and promised, “whoever selects Warren will undoubtedly be thrilled about their selection.”
However, the latest mock draft from Pro Football Network doesn’t believe the Bears will be that lucky franchise. Instead, they have Warren passing by the Bears and landing at No. 14 to the Indianapolis Colts. For Chicago, Jacob Infante believes its investment in the offensive line will continue.
With the 10th pick, he has them selecting right tackle Armand Membou out of Missouri, explaining, “The Chicago Bears aggressively addressed their offensive line early in the offseason. That said, they face a difficult choice ahead of them in whether or not to extend left tackle Braxton Jones.”
Between the offensive line and offensive weapons, it doesn’t seem like the Bears could go wrong either way. But with the influx of talent during the offseason, it might make more sense for them to give their new head coach even more pieces to be versatile with.