With the arrival of new head coach Ben Johnson, he added an experienced defensive coordinator (and former head coach) in Dennis Allen to lead the defense. There are plenty of established veterans in place, led by cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, defensive end Montez Sweat and linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds.

The Chicago Bears have struggled to field competitive teams in recent years. In fact, they haven't made the playoffs since 2020, and have undergone three coaching changes since that last postseason appearance.

Sure, age is all relative, but this was the first project I tackled when becoming an official writer here at WCG in 2009, which makes this my seventeenth 10 Most Important Bears series. Before I kick off the 2025 version of the series,