By the end of the regular season, five members of the Bears rookie class on the offensive side of the ball were no longer playing like first-year NFL players.
Starting in rookie minicamp and all the way through the 18-week campaign, tight end Colston Loveland (pick No. 10), receiver Luther Burden III (pick No. 39), offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo (pick No. 56), running back Kyle Monangai (pick No. 233) and receiver Jahdae Walker (undrafted) earned more and more trust from the coaching staff and their teammates and, as a result, significant playing time in their inaugural NFL seasons.
While snap counts, game-to-game availability and season-long production varied within the group, each player made an indelible mark on the Bears' remarkable 2025 season.
"All of our rookies, they have been in positions all season long to go ahead and step up and play a significant amount of time," running back D'Andre Swift said. "Every single one of them has stepped up to the plate, which everybody has seen. Just how they've gone about their business. I don't feel like we have any "rookies" on the team, just because of their maturity and how they carry themselves.
"They've been phenomenal to work with."
From a statistical standpoint, the group solidified its place in NFL history. The Bears became the first team in the Super Bowl era to have three rookies all compile at least 650 scrimmage yards, thanks to Monangai (947), Loveland (711) and Burden (689).
That stat, however, doesn't fully tell the story of the rookies' role in the Bears finishing with a top 10 offense. Between Loveland leading the team in receiving yards (713) and receptions (58), Burden hauling in the longest reception of the season and posting two 100-yard games, Monangai combining with Swift to be the only running back tandem in the league to each rush for 750+ yards, Trapilo taking over as the starting left tackle in the back half of the year and Walker scoring two touchdowns in a three-game span, including an electrifying game-tying score against the Packers, each rookie displayed expontential improvement to prepare them for playoffs.
"We have a number of young players that early on, it's a lot," coach Ben Johnson said Dec. 18. "And at this point, I think that they're able to go out and play fast. We trust them as a coaching staff. They've earned that. I mean, you can look all across our rookie class, and there's a number of high-level contributors right now, more so on the offensive side of the ball. But I think that comes with a lot of time and effort.
"But when you see them in training camp and you see where we came from early on in camp to the end of camp, I think it's not that bold of a statement to say that we're going to be playing some pretty good football here at the end of the year."
As the Bears' first-round selection, Loveland met and exceeded expectations, becoming the first rookie to lead the franchise in receiving yards since Willie Gault in 1983 and the first rookie tight end to do so since Mike Ditka in 1961.
During the regular season, the Michigan product's most valuable performance came in Cincinnati Nov. 2. Not only did Loveland produce his first 100-yard game, totaling 118 yards on six receptions and two TDs, but he scored the game-winning 58-yard touchdown with just under a minute to play in a 47-42 thriller against the Bengals.
That catch-and-run was arguably Loveland's most impressive moment of his rookie campaign. With the Bears trailing 42-41 and facing third-and-10, Loveland hauled in a pass at the Cincinnati 33 with his back to the end zone and two defenders closing in. Instead of getting tackled and allowing the clock to tick away, Loveland spun out of a hit and outraced a group of Bengals defenders to reach the end zone.
Loveland continued his consistency and reliability in the postseason as well, generating his best performance of the season against the Packers in the wild card round. As the Bears made another fourth-quarter comeback attempt, Loveland served as the go-to guy for quarterback Caleb Williams, totaling 137 yards, including 115 in the second half.
Combined with his 56 yards versus the Rams the following week, Loveland's 193 total postseason receiving yards are the most by any rookie tight end since at least 1960. He also became the only rookie tight end to catch at least eight passes for at least 100 yards in a postseason game.
"Colston can do a lot of things," Johnson said. "He's going to be a weapon for a long time in terms of the passing game. I think he does a phenomenal job in our running game. I think he's been a key component in terms of where we've been able to line him up and what he's been able to do in terms of blocking linebackers and defensive ends at times. Then, even in pass protection, we've asked him to do that a few times as well, and he's done a great job.
"I see him as a complete tight end. I think that's what makes him so dangerous, because he can wear so many hats. He's not just a one-trick pony, and yet when we do ask him to run routes, he's very difficult to match up with, and he gives teams problems."
As the 2025 season progressed, Burden became a reliable target for Williams, averaging 6.6 targets and 60.4 yards over his last seven games compared to 2.8 targets and 29.5 yards through his first 10 contests. Still, he produced 100-yard receiving games in both halves of the season, recording 101 yards and a touchdown on three catches against the Cowboys Sept. 21 and 138 yards and a TD on eight catches in San Francisco Dec. 28.
Burden's touchdown reception in Week 3 versus Dallas was his first NFL score as well as Williams' longest completion of not only the season, but his career. The pair connected on a 65-yard flea-flicker in which Swift took the handoff and pitched the ball back to Williams, who soared the ball to Burden down the left sideline before the receiver sprinted 20 more yards into the end zone.
After missing rookie minicamp, OTAs and the first few days of training camp with a hamstring injury, Burden focused on building trust with Johnson, Williams and receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El to steadily increase his workload.
"It means everything," Burden said Nov. 19 about earning that trust. "I come in here, put my head down, just work really hard, man, get more opportunities on the field. My hard work is starting to pay off.
"[Also] just getting extra time with Caleb. Him and me outside the facility, I'm in here real early. Me, working with El. I'm over here at 6 in the morning every day going over the game plan with El. Just pretty much keep my head down and working every day and proving this is where I belong."
Monangai was the only rookie to play in all 19 games, taking full advantage of every opportunity presented to him and displaying his ability to be a dual-threat out of the backfield. He totaled 783 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 169 attempts and tallied 164 receiving yards on 18 receptions.
The Rutgers product also stepped up in a starting role when called upon, rushing for 176 yards on 26 carries against the Bengals Nov. 2 when Swift was inactive with an injury. When asked about his rookie counterpart, the six-year veteran said Monangai "doesn't carry himself like a rookie, and he [darn] sure doesn't play like one."
Monangai proved that statement to be true thanks to his work ethic both during the week and in games. He was relied on to be a tough, physical runner who could also be shifty and explosive when catching passes out of the backfield.
"When you come into the building like he does and have his approach every single day, and it doesn't matter whether it's in the meetings or in walkthroughs or practices, you know what you're going to get," Johnson said Nov. 17. "He is a very consistent player. He ran hard; he lowered his pads. I thought that he played some inspiring football for anybody that was watching it, whether you were on the field or on the sidelines. No one was surprised."
While Trapilo suffered a season-ending patellar tendon injury in the wild card win versus the Packers, he proved to be a dependable tackle who played 50% of offensive snaps this season.
After serving in a backup role in the first half of the season, Trapilo took over as the starting left tackle in Week 12 and held the position until his injury in the playoffs, despite not having played the position since 2022 at Boston College.
Trapilo played an integral role in an offensive line that helped the Bears become the only team in the NFL to have multiple running backs with at least 750 rushing yards and finish the season as the No. 3-ranked rushing attack in the league. The offensive line also allowed just 24 sacks, the third-fewest by any team in the NFL this season.
"We were really bummed to see Ozzy get hurt," center Drew Dalman said. "Just a great guy and great teammate and player that showed up every day ready to go. It's unbelievably hard to step in as a rookie and play, particularly at left tackle. And so, just him handling that, I feel like was a really good piece for the O-line, and good for the culture."
As the only undrafted rookie to make a significant impact this season, Walker totaled 87 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions during the last three regular-season contests and accounted for one of the most exciting and impactful plays of the year during the Bears' overtime win against the Packers Dec. 20.
With 28 seconds left in regulation and trailing 16-9, the Bears faced fourth-and-4 from the Green Bay 6-yard line. Despite Walker having caught his first NFL pass earlier in the game, Williams went to the Texas A&M product in one of the most high-pressure moments of the season. Walker hauled in the game-tying pass by leaping in the right corner of the end zone and toe-tapping in bounds. His first NFL score eventually led to the Bears' 22-16 overtime win.
"I know to the people that haven't been in the building, it's like 'Oh my gosh, you're going to the undrafted rookie on fourth down,'" Johnson said. "Well, we see what he does every single week. We see how he goes about his business. There's a reason why we didn't want to expose him to the waiver wire and someone poach him after the preseason.
"We see a bright future for this guy. He's done nothing but steadily improve over the course of the season. The coaches trust him. Caleb trusts him."
