Pressure on Caleb Williams Mounts After Bears’ Offense-Heavy Draft

The pressure on Caleb Williams continues to mount.

Coming into the 2025 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears had multiple needs to address on the offensive side of the ball. Many, including myself, expected the Bears to upgrade specifically the tackle and running back positions. While Chicago certainly prioritized offense, it wasn’t at the positions or in the ways many anticipated.

Colston Loveland – TE – Michigan (Round 1, Pick 10)

Kicking things off on Thursday night, the Bears shocked fans when they selected tight end Colston Loveland out of Michigan with the 10th-overall pick.

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Not only was tight end not a glaring need for Chicago after extending Cole Kmet recently, but many experts, including Mel Kiper Jr., had the Bears selecting Tyler Warren out of Penn State if they were to draft a tight end. However, the more you examine the type of player Loveland is and what he brings to the Bears’ offense, it makes a lot of sense.

With Keenan Allen’s departure this offseason, the Bears needed a slot receiver. While Loveland isn’t a direct replacement for Allen, he fills a similar role.

Loveland isn’t your typical tight end. He flourishes as a pass catcher and is just as comfortable lining up out wide as he is on the line.

In his three seasons in college, Michigan often used him out of the slot. With Kmet’s strengths as both a blocker and a reliable pass catcher, Ben Johnson and the Bears can take advantage of more two-tight-end sets, something Johnson ran a lot of when he was the offensive coordinator in Detroit.

Having a player with Loveland’s size and route-running ability line up in the slot creates matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. Put a corner on him and he’ll dominate him physically. Try a linebacker and risk giving up the middle of the field.

Did the Bears have bigger needs to fill at this point in the draft? Sure. But will Loveland be a nice addition to the offense and make quarterback Caleb Williams’ life easier? 100%.

Luther Burden III – WR – Missouri (Round 2, Pick 39)

One of the biggest surprises from Day 1 of the draft was wide receiver Luther Burden falling out of the first round.

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A dynamic slot receiver who can take the top off the defense, had the Bears not taken Loveland in the first round, Burden would have been a perfect fit in Chicago. But sometimes taking the best player available is better than taking a player at a position of need, especially when a player of Burden’s ability is still on the board.

With Burden, the Bears now have one of the scariest compilations of weapons in all of the NFL. DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Burden are an elite trio of receivers, and the tight end pair of Loveland and Kmet can hold their own against any duo in the league.

Add this to the improvements made to the offensive line in free agency and later in the draft, and there’s no reason why Chicago shouldn’t have an improved offensive season in 2024.

The Pressure Will be High for Chicago, Especially Caleb Williams

With the amount of talent General Manager Ryan Poles and the Bears have surrounded Caleb Williams with, expectations will be high for the second-year quarterback.

The Bears have been starving for a franchise coach and quarterback for years. This feels like as good a chance as they might get to turn things around. Remember, Chicago hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2010 divisional round against the Seahawks.

Williams is already a player who receives a lot of media attention, good and bad. It’s what comes with being a first-overall pick playing in one of the biggest markets in the league. However, the noise will be especially loud if the Bears’ offense comes out slow. Bears fans aren’t shy about sharing their feelings, even towards their own team (remember the sell the team chants from last season). If Williams and the offense struggles early on, expect the boos to return to Soldier Field.

While this is certainly Chicago’s best team on paper in years, being good on paper only means so much. It’ll be up to the players and coaching staff to make sure this team reaches its full potential.