The Bears’ Week 8 statement win over the Seahawks did more than keep Ben Johnson’s team rolling. It also offered another look at a handful of players who are headed toward free agency in 2027, and the picture is getting clearer for some of them.
Tyrique Stevenson is still searching for a turnaround, and the latest chance didn’t help his case. With rookie Malik Muhammad sidelined by a toe injury, Stevenson was pushed into his second-highest snap share of the season against Seattle.
He faced eight targets over 39 coverage snaps and allowed four catches, a 50 percent completion rate. On paper, that sounds manageable.
In reality, those completions turned into 82 yards, and three of them went for 15 yards or more.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the biggest problem. He caught two passes for 58 yards with Stevenson as the nearest defender, including a 43-yard touchdown late in the first half that had a real chance to swing the game. The Bears limited Smith-Njigba to two catches after halftime, but that had more to do with Seattle running out of other passing threats than anything Stevenson did to clamp him down.
At this point, the idea that Stevenson might use a contract year to change the conversation is fading fast. A trade addition before the deadline could even push him to the bench.
Roschon Johnson, meanwhile, is still stuck in a limited role. He did manage to climb out of what had looked like a doghouse of sorts against the Seahawks, but the workload never really followed.
Johnson played only 14 offensive snaps and finished with 28 total yards on six touches, including 17 rushing yards and one catch. D’Andre Swift was once again the clear lead back.
Kyle Monangai’s absence is part of that equation. He has now missed four straight games with toe and thumb injuries and doesn’t seem close to returning. With the bye week coming in Week 10, Monangai could miss another game, which would leave Johnson as the obvious No. 2 behind Swift - even if that role doesn’t come with much volume.
Garrett Bradbury has quietly helped his own stock. The Bears’ center is likely headed elsewhere after this season no matter what, with rookie second-round pick Logan Jones waiting behind him.
Still, Bradbury has been playing well enough to matter. From Week 6 through Week 8, Pro Football Focus had him graded as a top-five center overall and as a run blocker.
Former Bears center Olin Kreutz also pointed to Bradbury’s importance in the pre-snap operation, especially in a tough environment like Lumen Field. The communication between Caleb Williams, Bradbury and the rest of the offense was sharp in Seattle, and that mattered.
Bradbury still has issues in pass protection, and those showed up again against the Seahawks. But the rest of his game is starting to look like the kind of veteran package that other teams will want in March.
There may also be a bigger opening coming for James Lynch. Kentavius Street appeared to suffer a serious knee injury against Seattle, and he hadn’t done enough to block Lynch from the rotation anyway.
Lynch also flashed in the game, picking off a pass and breaking up another. That effort may have been helped by the arrival of former Titans teammate Jeffery Simmons, who seemed to lift the whole team.
Grady Jarrett also left the game with a groin injury, which could create even more room for Lynch if Jarrett misses time or is limited. Lynch has already been disruptive this season, and more snaps would give him another chance to strengthen his case.
Kalif Raymond keeps finding ways to matter, even with fewer chances in the passing game. His role in the Bears’ offense has settled into a more fitting spot in recent weeks, but he still gives them value as a punt returner and as a veteran presence Ben Johnson clearly wanted added last offseason.
Against Seattle, Raymond had just two receptions for 14 yards. But he also turned a screen pass on 3rd-and-9 into a 39-yard rush, and that play set up a fourth-quarter touchdown by Swift that effectively put the game away. Those are the kinds of moments that stick.
Raymond looks increasingly likely to be back with the Bears in 2027, and he should keep making his mark whenever the ball comes his way the rest of the season.
In Other News...
Caleb Williams Drew New Scrutiny After One Odd Detail Vs Seahawks
Caleb Williams latest outing drew more than the usual postgame review after the Bears win over the Seahawks, even with the rookie quarterback turning in a solid performance. Williams completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, helping Chicago leave Seattle with a victory and another encouraging step in his development.
The extra attention came from an odd fourth-quarter detail that caught the eye of analyst Dave Kluge, who raised the possibility that Williams was giving away something with his mouthguard. Fans and analysts quickly started parsing whether it was intentional or just a quirk of how he wore it, but the Bears result never changed, and the episode now sits as one more small wrinkle in the growing scrutiny around the young quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams May Have Put Something Important On Film Vs Seahawks
Caleb Williams latest outing against the Seahawks gave the Bears another look at the rookie quarterbacks poise in a win, as he finished 24 of 34 for 247 yards and a touchdown. But the postgame conversation quickly drifted from the box score to something far more granular, after analysts began pointing to a possible on-field tell that might have been visible during Chicagos fourth-quarter snaps.
The discussion centered on Williams mouthguard and whether it was being used in a way that could signal what the Bears were about to run, a detail that drew attention from multiple observers online. For now, it remains the kind of small but potentially meaningful wrinkle that opposing staffs may study closely, even if it did nothing to alter the outcome for Chicago on Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Rome Odunze Just Gave Bears Fans A Reason To Believe
Rome Odunze kept giving the Bears a needed spark in Week 8 against the Seahawks, turning four catches into 87 yards and leading Chicago in receiving. His day featured multiple chunk gains of at least 18 yards, the kind of downfield production the Bears have been looking for as they try to find more consistency in the passing game.
The bigger picture is even more encouraging for Chicago. Odunzes breakout season has now reached 994 receiving yards, putting him on the doorstep of a milestone that would underscore just how quickly he has become one of the offenses most important pieces. For a team still searching for reliable playmakers, his rise has become one of the clearest reasons to keep watching. [Read more 🡒]