The Chicago Bears' roster has undergone a dramatic transformation over the last few years, but perhaps the most encouraging part of Ryan Poles' rebuild is how much of the team's core remains young.
Two players in particular are already being recognized among the NFL's best young stars.
Caleb Williams and Darnell Wright both landed on The Athletic's ranking of the NFL's top 25 players age 25 and under, with Williams checking in at No. 21 and Wright at No. 23.
Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell earned the No. 1 spot, followed by Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton and Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie.
For the Bears, having both their franchise quarterback and franchise right tackle make the list is another indication that the foundation of Ben Johnson's offense is built for the long haul.
Caleb Williams checks in at No. 21
Williams' inclusion shouldn't come as much of a surprise after his breakout second season.
Williams threw for a franchise-record 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 2025, helping Chicago finish 11-6, win the NFC North and defeat the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round.
And he's still only 24.
What's interesting about The Athletic's ranking is where Williams falls relative to the other young quarterbacks.
New England's Drake Maye ranks 11th, Washington's Jayden Daniels is 13th, and Houston's C.J. Stroud is 19th. Williams comes in at No. 21.
That leaves Williams fourth among quarterbacks on the list.
There's certainly room to debate that order, particularly after what Williams accomplished during his first season with Johnson. The pairing helped transform a Bears offense that had spent decades searching for stability at quarterback.
Williams' next challenge is turning last year's breakthrough into his new baseline.
His 58.1% completion percentage remains an obvious area for improvement, and Williams has spent training camp talking about mastering Johnson's offense and becoming more consistent in situational football.
If that happens, No. 21 could look awfully conservative a year from now.
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Darnell Wright lands at No. 23
Wright ranks No. 23 overall, making him one of only two offensive tackles to crack the top 25. Sewell, who tops the entire ranking, is the other.
That is elite company.
And Chicago recently paid Wright accordingly.
The Bears signed Wright to a four-year, $116 million extension with $93 million guaranteed, cementing the former first-round pick as one of the foundational pieces of their offensive line.
Wright's development has been one of the biggest success stories of Poles' tenure. The No. 10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has developed from a physically gifted prospect into one of the league's premier young tackles.
His emergence was also critical to Chicago's dramatic offensive-line improvement in 2025. The Bears finished first in ESPN's pass block win rate and fifth in run block win rate after allowing a league-high 68 sacks the previous season.
Now he's being recognized alongside the NFL's best players in his age group.
Bears have even more young talent waiting behind Williams and Wright
Perhaps the most exciting part for Chicago is that Williams and Wright aren't the only candidates who could eventually appear on a list like this.
The Bears have assembled a substantial collection of young talent that includes Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Dillon Thieneman, Austin Booker and Kyle Monangai.
In fact, ESPN recently ranked Chicago third in the NFL for under-25 talent, trailing only the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.
Loveland is probably the most obvious omission from The Athletic's top 25.
The second-year tight end caught 58 passes for 713 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie before adding 193 receiving yards over Chicago's two playoff games. Another major step forward in 2026 could quickly propel him into the conversation among the league's premier young players.
Burden is another candidate after flashing tremendous efficiency during the second half of his rookie season.
That's what should be most encouraging for Bears fans. Williams and Wright have already arrived, and several more could be coming.
For a franchise that spent far too many years searching for a quarterback and struggling to build a sustainable offensive core around him, having a 24-year-old franchise quarterback and a 24-year-old cornerstone right tackle ranked among the NFL's best young players is a pretty good place to start.
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