Chicago Bears Skill Position Comparison: 2025 vs. 2013
The 2025 Chicago Bears roster projects to have a talented group of skill position players, but how does this compare to the 2013 team which finished the year with an 8-8 record? Do the Chicago Bears have a better group of skill position players now than they did in 2013?
Sep 29, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (4) celebrates with wide receiver DJ Moore (2) after he runs for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
The idea for the first ever blog post on the Bears Country Productions website was spawned while I was doom scrolling on Twitter, where I encounted a Tweet posted by Max Markham who posted a poll asking his following what group of weapons are better between the 2025 and 2014 rosters. I hope you understand my shock which was seen in my reply to Max’s Tweet.
The response to Markham's Tweet made me second guess my initial thoughts, but I eventually concluded that the Bears' 2013 roster makes for a lot more of an interesting debate. Additionally, please note that this thought experiment is designed around the supporting cast of weapons around the quarterback and does not included the quarterback as a member of the skill position group itself, but I will expound on the quarterback situation at the end of this blog post.
At surface level, I do see the need for a comparison - the 2025 Chicago Bears have invested a LOT into their current collection of skill position players. The projected depth chart would suggest that the Chicago Bears have invested three (3) first round picks and two (2) second round picks into their primary pass-catchers alone. For all intents and purposes, Wide Receiver DJ Moore was valued as a first round pick when the Bears acquired Moore in the infamous trade where the Bears sent the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers. This speculation comes after DJ Moore was drafted 24th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Bears then spent the 9th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on Wide Receiver Rome Odunze, and the 39th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on Wide Receiver Luther Burden III.
Tight End Cole Kmet was drafted 43rd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, and is one (1) of the final two (2) players (along with Cornerback Jaylon Johnson) remaining from the previous regime which included the former General Manager of the Chicago Bears; Ryan Pace. Former University of Michigan standout Tight End, and 2023 College Football Playoff champion, Colston Loveland was selected 10th overall by Chicago in the 2025 NFL Draft. The draft capital invested in these five (5) players alone should warrant lofty expectations, but will the actual product outdo what was accomplished by the counterparts from the 2013 roster?
The 2013 roster featured Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall who was coming off a season which earned him 1st Team All Pro honors, and Wide Receiver Alshon Jeffery, who needed to improve in his second year after being drafted 45th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. For comparison, the Chicago Bears acquired Brandon Marshall via trade in 2011 from the Miami Dolphins for two (2) third round picks after originally being drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft; 119th overall. Marshall ended the 2013 season with 100 catches for 1,295 yards and 12 Touchdowns, while Jeffery broke-out with 89 catches for 1,421 yard and 7 Touchdowns - adding 105 yards rushing over 16 carries. Both Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery earned Pro Bowl honors in 2013. The rest of the pass-catching skill position players for the Chicago Bears' 2013 roster featured Wide Receiver Earl Bennett who the Bears drafted 70th overall in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft, and Tight End Martellus Bennett who the Bears signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2013 after being drafted 61st overall in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. While the remaining Tight Ends on the 2013 roster (Dante Rosario and Kyle Adams) did not come close to the ceiling of potential that Colston Loveland has, I think it's fair for all Bears fans to hope Loveland can produce the 65 catches for 759 yards and 5 Touchdowns as a rookie that Bennett produced in 2013.
I'm not willing to get into the weeds and try to rationalize an argument for if Luther Burden III or Earl Bennett will end up being a better Slot Receiver for the Chicago Bears when all is said and done, or try to compare the likes of Wide Receivers Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay of the current 2025 roster to Wide Receivers Marquess Wilson and Eric Weems from the 2013 roster, because to be frank, I don't think it matters. What does matter is that Brandon Marshall is arguably (and in my opinion certainly) the best Wide Receiver in Chicago Bears history, and that Alshon Jeffery's 2013 season should be remembered as one (1) of the best seasons from a Bears' Wide Receiver ever - on par with Brandon Marshall's 1st Team All Pro season the year before.
Ashley Fox of ESPN writes ‘Bears own top WR duo’ in an ESPN article from 2014 | Photo Credit - David Banks/Getty Images
A pivotal factor when deciding which roster has a better group of skill position players should be determining who the best player from the entire group is. Running Back Matt Forte was drafted 44th overall in the 2nd round of the 2008 NFL Draft, and on the first drive of his first NFL game on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, Forte scampered for a 50 yard touchdown - and never looked back as a member of the Chicago Bears. In 2013, Forte accumulated 1,339 rushing yards (second most in the NFL) and 9 touchdowns over 289 carries, with an additional 74 catches for 594 yards and 3 touchdowns. This performance earned Forte a trip to the Pro Bowl along with teammates Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.
Without presenting compelling statistics, advanced analytics, or any other measurable data to justify my claim, I know in my heart of hearts that Matt Forte is the best player across the entire collection of skill position players on the combined rosters of 2013 and 2025. By the same token, Matt Forte also doubles as the third best Running Back in Chicago Bears history, behind NFL Icons Walter Payton and Gale Sayers, respectively.
Forte's 2025 comparison is Running Back D'Andre Swift, who was signed as an Unrestricted Free Agent by the Chicago Bears in 2024 after originally being drafted 35th overall in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. With the approval of then Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson, Swift was traded from the Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles for a forth round pick and a day-three (3) pick swap. This occurred a day after the Lions had drafted Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in what was originally considered a heinous offense by Ben Johnson and the Detroit Lions. I wonder what Jahmyr Gibbs could do for Ben Johnson on the 2025 Chicago Bears?
With only nine (9) draft positions separating Forte and Swift, and both players boasting similar archetypes, the difference in quality between the two (2) running backs is unfathomable. My strongest argument for this comes from the actions of a man who many will feel is the best General Manager currently in the entire National Football League. Philadelphia Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman allowed the Chicago Bears to sign free agent running back D'Andre Swift as the first signing of the 2024 NFL Free Agency period across the entire league. Roseman then helped lure free agent Running Back Saquon Barkley to Philadelphia after it was reported by Jarrett Payton that the Chicago Bears were in on the former second overall pick of the New York Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The arrival of Barkley ultimately resulted in a Lombardi Trophy for the Eagles, even with the loss of future Hall of Fame Center Jason Kelce. Kelce spent the final year of his career blocking for D'Andre Swift, but this ended in a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs. Not only was Saquon Barkley good enough to help bring a championship to his home town team only one (1) year after the departure of D'Andre Swift, but Barkley's 2024 season prompted the best General Manager in the National Football League to handout a two-year contract extension to Saquon Barkley worth $41.2 million, making him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. The deal also included a whopping $36 million fully guaranteed. For comparison, D'Andre Swift signed a 3 year, $24 million contract with the Chicago Bears in 2024, including $15.3 million guaranteed.
While there is no question that all 32 NFL franchises would choose to have Saquon Barkley (or Jahmyr Gibbs) instead of D'Andre Swift for the 2025 NFL season, I dare you to tell me what running back the Chicago Bears would have preferred to have over Matt Forte for the 2013 NFL season. While I will begrudgingly accept the answer of Adrian Peterson, who was coming off his 2,097 rushing yard campaign in 2012 only one (1) year removed from an ACL injury, I refuse to accept anyone else - even from the extremely talented pool of Running Backs for the 2013 NFL season which included LeSean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, Marshawn Lynch, Frank Gore, DeMarco Murray, and Chris Johnson.
We could also ask the question of if either back-up Running Back on the 2025 roster, Roschon Johnson or rookie Kyle Monangai, are better than 2013 back-up Running Back Michael Bush. Bush, the former fourth round pick of the then Oakland Raiders, posted career lows in rushing yards (197) and yards per attempt (3.1) in 2013 before being released by Chicago in 2014 and ultimately being forced to retire due to lack of interest from NFL teams. A surprise outburst from seventh round rookie Running Back Kyle Monangai would go a long way towards bolstering the argument for the group of skill position players on the 2025 Chicago Bears roster, but the fact remains that this group would need to produce three (3) Pro Bowl level players to truly make this a debate.
Karl, P Jay, and Foster discuss if Kyle Monangai really is a difference maker on the latest episode of the Bears Country Podcast, found at the link below:
The true key to this puzzle is the quarterback position. There is no fair way to compare Jay Cutler to Caleb Williams strictly based on their time in the NFL up to the respective time periods. Jay Cutler was entering his 8th year at the start of the 2013 season, while Caleb Williams will be entering only his second season to start this upcoming year. Another key factor is not only the quality of player, but the time spent and rapport built between quarterback and their respective group of skill position players.
Jay Cutler had previous experience with wide receiver Brandon Marshall from their time together on the Denver Broncos. Cutler also spent a year together with Earl Bennett at Vanderbilt University, where Bennett set a Vanderbilt freshman record with 79 receptions for 876 yards and nine (9) touchdowns during the season, leading the team in all three (3) categories.
The last time Caleb Williams was paired with an elite pass catcher in college was during the 2022 season with wide receiver Jordan Addison while they both attended the University of Southern California. Addison transferred to USC before the start of the 2022 season, and ended the year catching 59 passes for 875 yards receiving and eight (8) touchdowns. This season helped Addison become the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and helped Caleb Williams become the winner of the Heisman Trophy.
Fans of the Chicago Bears will need to hope that Caleb Williams can build rapport with the current cast of skill position players to produce results for not only the 2025 season, but for years to come. The fact remains that a group of skill position players which featured three (3) Pro Bowlers and a talented Quarterback equated to an 8-8 season in 2013. Regardless of if any of DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Luther Burden III can produce more than the best Wide Receiver in franchise history, or if any of D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, or Kyle Monangai can surprise us and produce a season on par with the average season of the third best Running Back in franchise history - we all know that there is much more to winning football games in the NFL than talent alone.
