The Chicago Bears have likely made all of their major signings for the 2025 offseason after making it to the other side of NFL free agency this week, but the door is still wide open for them to add a generational talent to their offense.
Over the past week, the Bears have addressed some of their largest roster needs, using a combination of trades (Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson) and signings (Drew Dalman) to rebuild their offensive line’s interior. They also added defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to boost their frontlines on the other side of the ball.
Now, the Bears are well positioned to take a major swing on one of the blue-chip talents in the 2025 NFL draft — enough that they could even trade up from No. 10 to do so.
Sports Illustrated’s Alan Goldsher recently projected the Bears to shake up the first round of the 2025 draft with a “shocker” of a trade that would move them from No. 10 to No. 5 overall with the ambition to select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
The proposed trade: The Bears send their first-round pick (No. 10) and third-round pick (No. 72) to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for the No. 5 overall pick.
“Jeanty’s already lofty stock is rising, and at this point, it looks like he won’t make it past Las Vegas at the six-spot,” Goldsher wrote. “So if [general manager Ryan] Poles and the Bears want to welcome the draft’s most can’t-miss offensive option — which they should — they’ll need to leapfrog the Raiders … and they do just that while holding on to their two second rounders.”
Ashton Jeanty Projected to be ‘Future All-Pro Talent’
Jeanty is among the most popular prospects in the upcoming 2025 draft class. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound running back came close to breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record during his final season at Boise State, finishing just 27 yards shy with 2,601 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns that built him an electric reputation.
As a result, Jeanty is considered a probable top-10 pick and a sure-fire first-rounder in the draft. Some analysts have even dubbed him a “generational” talent at running back, including Yahoo Sports’ Matt Harmon and Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein didn’t use the word “generational” in his pre-draft profile of Jeanty, but he did compare him to LaDainian Tomlinson, a two-time rushing leader.
“This top-flight running back is capable of becoming the face of an offense in a league where the pendulum might be swinging back to the running game,” Zierlein wrote about Jeanty after the NFL Scouting Combine. “Jeanty has future All-Pro talent.”
Even if Jeanty does not fit into everyone’s definition of generational, though, he is an offensive playmaker who could have immense value in Ben Johnson’s new offense.
Will Bears Need to Trade Up to Land Ashton Jeanty?
The Bears’ roster-building strategy this offseason has cleared the way for them to take an Ashton Jeanty-sized swing in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft next month, but will they need to trade up from the No. 10 overall selection to land Jeanty specifically?
At the rate things are going, it might be the only way Chicago gets him.
Jeanty’s draft stock has only seemed to rise since the combine even though the Heisman Trophy runner-up did not participate in any on-field drills. His explosive career at Boise State speaks for itself, right down to his oft-overlooked pass-catching numbers — which show he averaged 10.8 yards per reception on 80 catches during his three-year career.
Many of the NFL teams with running back needs have not gone above and beyond to improve the position in the first wave of free agency, either.
The Dallas Cowboys signed low-commitment deals with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free agency after deciding to let Rico Dowdle walk, but neither addition is something that eliminates the possibility of them targeting Jeanty at No. 12 in Round 1.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders only added veteran Raheem Mostert on a one-year deal in free agency, making them the biggest threat to take Jeanty at No. 6 overall.
Whether the Bears want Jeanty badly enough is the big question. If they do, though, Goldsher might be right in assuming they need to crack the top 5 to make it happen.
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