The Bears’ youth movement is leading the offense

Ryan Poles has officially done it: he’s worked his way completely out of the doghouse with Chicago Bears fans.

After years of asking when the Bears would finally take the North and never give it back, we’re nearly there, thanks to Poles’ rapid rebuild of a Bears squad that went 5-12 just a season ago. In addition to his shrewd free-agent signings and trades to retool the offensive line, he has his rookie class to thank for that.

The trio of first-round pick Colston Loveland, second-round pick Luther Burden III, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai didn’t just contribute in Friday’s win over Philly. They led the way, accounting for 202 total yards and a touchdown.

Monangai (130 yards rushing, TD) was part of a history-making duo with D’Andre Swift, who together became the first Bears running backs to top 100 yards in the same game since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey in 1985. Meanwhile, Loveland (three catches, 36 yards) and Burden (four catches, 33 yards, three rushing yards) led the team in receiving on a blustery day in Philadelphia.

This isn’t a one-off, either. Loveland has objectively become the focal point of the Bears’ passing offense and Caleb Williams’ top security blanket, even more so than DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. Plus, Burden has seen his role grow exponentially in recent weeks, earning five or more targets in each of the last three weeks. Each time he touches the ball, he makes a positive play.

That’s one thing the Bears have been missing for a while: young offensive talent that could immediately come in and change the game. Now, Chicago has added three rookies to an offense that also includes Williams, Odunze, and right tackle Darnell Wright, who have become massively important while on their first contracts.

Given how DJ Moore and Cole are Kmet trending with their roles, we’ll likely see Odunze, Loveland, and Burden take off even more in Year 2. And if Monangai keeps running like a baby Marshawn Lynch, perhaps that’s Ben Johnson’s cue to hand him the keys in 2026.

The fun thing is, we don’t have to wait to see how good they are. We’re already seeing it in real-time, and it’s making the Bears a dark horse contender in 2025.