Following the three-year Justin Fields experiment, the Chicago Bears head into the Caleb Williams era as they begin the season with the No. 1 overall pick leading the offense.
While expectations will be high for the Bears’ offense, plenty of eyes will be watching the defense as well after its late-season surge to end last year.
Matt Eberflus heads into his third season as the Bears’ head coach, looking for his first winning season with the team, but how will the 2024 campaign pan out in the Windy City?
Can Caleb Williams Lead the Bears to Their First Winning Season Since 2018?
The Bears have lacked offensive firepower for what seems like decades. Their offense has scored more than 400 points in a regular season just twice since 2010. For context, the Dallas Cowboys were the highest-scoring team in the NFL last season with 509 points.
Of the 32 teams in the NFL, nine teams scored 400 or more points last year, making up nearly 30% of the league. Being among the top 30% of teams means being approximately a top-10 offense as far as scoring points.
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The Bears have been a team built on strong defensive play and a powerful running game, but this season, it’s their passing attack that has fans excited. Not only do the Bears have a prolific No. 1 overall pick at quarterback, but Williams is surrounded by a wide receiver trio that offers plenty of upside in DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and one of the top receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft, Rome Odunze.
Can the Bears put it together this season in a likely competitive NFC North, or will they face their sixth-straight losing season?
Bears’ Projected Depth Chart
Quarterback (3)
Starter: Caleb Williams
Backups: Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien
Running Back (4)
Starter: D’Andre Swift (HB), Khari Blasingame (FB)
Backups: Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson
Wide Receiver (7)
Starters: DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze
Backups: Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr., Collin Johnson, DeAndre Carter
Tight End (3)
Starter: Cole Kmet
Backups: Gerald Everett, Marcedes Lewis
Offensive Line (11)
Starter: Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Ryan Bates, Coleman Shelton, Darnell Wright
Backups: Larry Borom, Ja’Tyre Carter, Nate Davis, Doug Kramer Jr., Kiran Amegadjie, Jake Curhan
Defensive Tackle (4)
Starters: Gervon Dexter Sr., Andrew Billings
Backups: Zacch Pickens, Byron Cowart
EDGE (4)
Starters: Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker
Backups: Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson
Linebacker (5)
Starters: T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Jack Sanborn
Backups: Noah Sewell, Amen Ogbongbemiga
Cornerback (6)
Starters: Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon
Backups: Jaylon Jones, Terell Smith, Greg Stroman Jr.
Safety (3)
Starters: Kevin Byard III, Jaquan Brisker
Backups: Elijah Hicks
Specialist (3)
Kicker: Cairo Santos
Punter: Tory Taylor
Long Snapper: Patrick Scales
Bears’ Roster Changes
The Bears made significant moves this offseason, including trading former No. 11 pick Justin Fields to the Steelers. The Bears received a 2025 sixth-round pick that could become a fourth-round pick, depending on Fields’ playing time.
Along with losing Fields, the Bears lost safety Eddie Jackson and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair in free agency, leaving another two holes for them to fill before the start of the season.
Despite those losses, the Bears were active this offseason, adding a heap of depth to positions of need, including the signing of free agents Kevin Byard III and D’Andre Swift.
With their selection of Williams as the No. 1 pick looming, the Bears added wide receiver Keenan Allen via trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Then, on draft day, the Bears walked out of the first round with one of the best-case scenarios, drafting two cornerstones for this franchise for years to come in Williams and Odunze. Both players were considered to be near the top of their position, and the Bears hope to have struck gold with that duo.
Players Added:
- OL Coleman Shelton
- FS Kevin Byard
- RB D’Andre Swift
- TE Gerald Everett
- WR Keenan Allen
- DB Jonathan Owens
- OT Jake Curhan
- QB Brett Rypien
Players Lost:
- QB Justin Fields
- OL Cody Whitehair
- S Eddie Jackson
- P Trenton Gill
2024 Draft Class:
- 1st round, 1st pick: QB Caleb Williams
- 1st round, 9th pick: WR Rome Odunze
- 3rd round, 75th pick: OT Kiran Amegadjie
- 4th round, 121st pick: P Tory Taylor
- 5th round, 144th pick: EDGE Austin Booker
Bears’ Coaching Staff
Eberflus heads into a crucial year for both him and the Bears. Eberflus has yet to coach a winning season in Chicago, finishing 3-14 in his first season and a much better 7-10 last year.
Both coordinator positions have new coaches stepping in with Shane Waldron joining the team as their new offensive coordinator. On defense, Eric Washington takes over duties as the defensive coordinator.
Waldron comes into the Bears’ offense after being the OC for Seattle from 2021-23, coaching Geno Smith to his resurgent season in 2022.
Washington returns to his old stomping grounds after beginning his coaching career with Chicago in 2008. He spent four years with the Bills’ defense, returning to the Bears this season after nearly 15 years.
Eberflus was the acting defensive coordinator for most of last season once Alan Williams resigned from the team.
Another coach who will have plenty of eyes on him is quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph. He’s coming into this season with the task of coaching Williams, one of the most tantalizing quarterback prospects in recent history.
With new faces leading the offense and defense, the Bears’ coaching staff looks to change the losing trend for Chicago, and the Bears look poised for a strong 2024 season.
- Matt Eberflus, Head Coach
- Shane Waldron, Offensive Coordinator
- Eric Washington, Defensive Coordinator
- Richard Hightower, Special Teams Coordinator
- Jim Arthur, Head Strength and Conditioning
- Chris Beatty, Wide Receivers
- Bryan Bing, Assistant Defensive Line
- Dave Borgonzi, Linebackers
- Thomas Brown, Offensive Passing Game Coordinator
- Zach Cable, Offensive Quality Control
- Andre Curtis, Secondary/Safeties
- Jim Dray, Tight Ends
- Ryan Griffin, Offensive Assitant – Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers
- Jon Hoke, Defensive Passing Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks
- Jason Houghtaling, Assistant Offensive Line
- Kerry Joseph, Quarterbacks
- Jennifer King, Offensive Assistant/Running Backs
- Kevin Koch, Defensive Quality Control
- Noble Landry, Assistant Strength and Conditioning
- Chris Morgan, Offensive Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
- Chad Morton, Running Backs
- Pierre Ngo, Assistant Strength and Conditioning
- Kenny Norton III, Defensive Quality Control
- David Overstreet II, Nickelbacks
- Matt Pees, Defensive Analyst/Advance/Special Projects
- Robbie Picazo, Offensive Assistant/Quarterbacks and Receivers
- Carlos Polk, Assistant Special Teams
- Travis Smith, Defensive Line
- Harrison Freid, Director of Research and Analysis
- Chavis Cook, Coaching Administration Manager
Bears’ 2024 Season Schedule
On paper, the Bears’ 2024 schedule is favorable. The first half of the season appears to be a bit easier than the second half, as the Bears don’t play a divisional matchup until Week 11 when they face off against the Green Bay Packers.
Chicago plays six divisional games over its last eight contests, making the second half of the season important for many reasons, and the Bears’ rookies have a chance to get acclimated to NFL speed before their NFC North matchups.
Looking at the Pro Football Network’s Strength of Schedule, the Bears just miss out on the top five, having the sixth-easiest slate in the league. If this rings true for the Bears, there could be new Kings of the North.
- Week 1: vs. Tennessee Titans (Sun. 9/8, 1:00 p.m. on FOX)
- Week 2: at Houston Texans (Sun. 9/15, 8:20 p.m. on NBC)
- Week 3: at Indianapolis Colts (Sun. 9/22, 1:00 p.m. on CBS)
- Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Rams (Sun. 9/29, 1:00 p.m. on FOX)
- Week 5: vs. Carolina Panthers (Sun. 10/6, 1:00 p.m. on FOX)
- Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Sun. 10/13, 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network)
- Week 7: BYE
- Week 8: at Washington Commanders (Sun. 10/27, 1:00 p.m. on CBS)
- Week 9: at Arizona Cardinals (Sun. 11/3, 4:05 p.m. on CBS)
- Week 10: vs. New England Patriots (Sun. 11/10, 1:00 p.m. on FOX)
- Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers (Sun. 11/17, 1:00 p.m. on FOX)
- Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikings (Sun. 11/24, 1:00 p.m. on FOX)
- Week 13: at Detroit Lions (Thurs. 11/28, 12:30 p.m. on CBS)
- Week 14: at San Francisco 49ers (Sun. 12/8, 4:25 p.m. on FOX)
- Week 15: at Minnesota Vikings (Mon. 12/16, 8:00 p.m. on ABC)
- Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions (Sun. 12/22, 1:00 p.m. on FOX)
- Week 17: vs. Seattle Seahawks (Thurs. 12/26, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video)
- Week 18: at Green Bay Packers (TBD)
2024 Season Prediction for the Bears
Considering how the Bears ended last season on a high note by winning five of their seven games within the last eight weeks, there’s confidence in them potentially starting this season strong. The Bears have made significant changes to their roster and coaching staff since last year, making this season full of hype and expectations.
Whether or not they reach those expectations is based on how well Williams transitions into the NFL as one of the top prospects of the entire 2024 NFL Draft class.
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Williams and the Bears have a simple beginning to the season. In their first 11 weeks, they face five teams that finished last season with a losing record. Three of those teams picked within the first four picks of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Bears’ season outlook also depends greatly on how well they come out of the gates, as they end the season with four away games in their last six matchups.
With Waldron getting the keys to a 2024 Bears offensive group that could end up being one of the most entertaining in the league, the pressure is on.
Defensively, the Bears have a strong secondary unit, but their defensive front relies heavily on Montez Sweat. Aside from Sweat, Gervon Dexter Sr. is primed for a breakout season this year, while rookie edge rusher Austin Booker joins the mix as a player to watch on this defense.
This team has a lot of hype overall, but without executing at the highest level each week, hype doesn’t mean anything. Coach Eberflus and the Chicago coaching staff have a special group of players, but putting it all together is what matters.
The NFC North is likely to be a gauntlet of a division, with all four teams making significant moves this offseason.
If Williams and the offense hit the ground running, and if Jaylon Johnson and the defense can begin this season like last year ended, it could be an exciting year for the Windy City Bears.
Record Prediction: 12-5 (2nd in the NFC North)