PFF ranks Bears' receiving corps 14th despite intriguing young trio

PFF ranked the Bears' receiving corps No. 14 in the NFL entering the 2026 season, putting Chicago almost exactly in the middle of the league despite the upside of Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland.

PFF's ranking evaluates each team's complete collection of pass-catchers rather than just its wide receivers.

Detroit earned the No. 1 spot, followed by Dallas and Cincinnati. Within the NFC North, Minnesota ranks fifth and Green Bay 11th, leaving the Bears third in the division.

But No. 14 could prove to undersell this team if Chicago's young weapons make the jumps expected of them.

PFF sees major upside in Colston Loveland and Luther Burden

PFF highlighted Loveland and Burden as two primary reasons for optimism.

"Tight end Colston Loveland impressed last season and is ready for an expanded role in Year 2," PFF wrote. "Luther Burden III’s outlook is also trending upward after a slow start to his rookie campaign. The pieces are here for this group to take a real step this season and display more reliability. Despite coming up in the clutch several times last year, Bears receivers dropped seven targets beyond 20 yards downfield last season, the most of any offense."

Burden is the X-factor.

His final rookie numbers — 47 receptions for 652 yards and two touchdowns — don't fully capture how efficiently he performed. PFF gave Burden a 79.9 receiving grade, which ranked 19th among qualified receivers. He also averaged 7.3 yards after the catch per reception and generated a 123.1 passer rating when targeted.

His role expanded as the 2025 season progressed, and with Moore now in Buffalo, Burden has an obvious path toward significantly more opportunities once he returns from the groin injury that has interrupted his training camp.

Rome Odunze remains a huge part of Bears' 2026 projection

Interestingly, PFF's Bears write-up focuses primarily on Loveland and Burden, but Odunze could be the player who ultimately determines whether Chicago outperforms the No. 14 ranking.

His 2025 season was disrupted by a foot injury after a promising start. Odunze still finished with 44 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 15 yards per reception. PFF gave him a 72.0 receiving grade.

Now healthy, Odunze has made it clear that he views himself as capable of being Chicago's No. 1 receiver. And that's exactly the question surrounding this group.

The Bears have plenty of upside. But do they have a true alpha receiver capable of consistently taking over games?

Odunze has an opportunity to provide that answer in Year 3.

Bears need to eliminate one major problem from 2025

PFF also identified the statistic preventing Chicago's receiving corps from receiving a more enthusiastic evaluation: drops.

The Bears dropped seven targets on passes thrown more than 20 yards downfield last season, the most of any team.

Odunze was charged with four drops last season, while Burden had five.

Those missed opportunities have to disappear if Chicago wants its passing attack to take another step. It's also why PFF's ranking of the Bears as a group seems fair... for now.

Bears have the upside to outperform No. 14 ranking

There's an interesting contrast developing in how Chicago's receiving talent is being evaluated nationally.

ESPN recently ranked the Bears' wide receiver room 24th. PFF, by evaluating the entire collection of receiving options, has Chicago much higher at No. 14.

Loveland is a major reason for the difference.

And when evaluating the weapons Williams will actually have at his disposal, including tight ends and running backs, makes considerably more sense than isolating the receivers.

If Odunze takes the next step, Burden's second-half surge carries into Year 2, and Loveland builds on his rookie season, Williams could be throwing to one of the NFL's most difficult young receiving trios by the end of 2026.

For now, Pro Football Focus wants to see them prove it.