Matt Eberflus’ time running the Bears left plenty for Chicago to move past, but one decision from that stretch still looks like a win: bringing in Jim Dray.
When Ben Johnson took over as head coach, most of the old staff was cleared out. Dray was one of the few holdovers, and that call has already shown its value. Johnson kept him in place, and the Bears’ tight end room has taken off.
The results have been hard to miss. Colston Loveland turned into a household name and led Chicago in receiving yards and touchdowns last season, while Cole Kmet has continued to produce at a high level in 2025. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue even singled out Dray as the Bears’ breakout candidate in 2026.
"Other than the quarterback, Bears coach Ben Johnson has made it clear that tight end is the most important element of his layered, explosive offensive system. That especially highlights Dray, whom Johnson retained from the Matt Eberflus-era staff. Dray will be coaching one of the most talented position rooms in the NFL, featuring Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland and rookie third-rounder Sam Roush."
Dray’s path to this point has been steady. He played tight end in the NFL from 2010 through 2017 with four teams, finishing with 56 catches for 605 yards and three touchdowns. His coaching career started at Stanford in 2018 and ran through 2022 before Eberflus brought him to Chicago as tight ends coach.
Once he arrived, the production followed. Dray helped Kmet put together the best season of his career in 2023, when Kmet posted 719 yards and six touchdowns and earned a contract extension.
Then in Johnson’s first season, Dray oversaw another strong year from the group, with Loveland finishing at 713 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Bears in both categories. Kmet added 347 yards and two touchdowns, and both tight ends delivered in big moments, including Loveland’s game-winning touchdown in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals and Kmet’s game-tying score that forced overtime in the NFC Divisional Round game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Now Dray’s job gets even more interesting. He’s tasked with developing Roush into a future backup for the Bears and, eventually, a replacement for Kmet. If Roush can handle both catching and blocking, Chicago could have one of the league’s most dangerous tight end rooms in 2026.
For Bears fans, that makes Dray one of the rare bright spots from the Eberflus era.
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