Rebuilds are difficult to execute because many things can go wrong along the way. The organization can lose a key free agent. They might get too bold with a trade. The head coaching hire might prove inadequate, or they hitch their wagon to the wrong quarterback. Few teams know this better than the Chicago Bears. They’ve run the gambit of these setbacks over the years. GM Ryan Poles knew the challenges ahead when he took over. Still, he also knew the only way to get this organization back into the championship conversation was by building this thing right.
Based on recent accounts from people around the NFL, he has done a stellar job. Insider Matt Lombardo reached out to several sources, asking who the most improved team in the league is. The vast majority chose the Bears.
“In conversations with league sources, no team was mentioned more often than the Chicago Bears, and for good reason.
Not only did general manager Ryan Poles draft generational quarterback prospect Caleb Williams, but dropped him into the softest landing imaginable after trading for Keenan Allen and then selecting field-stretching receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9 overall on the heels of inking running back D’Andre Swift in the opening moments of free agency.”
It isn’t hard to understand the optimism. Despite several setbacks last season, along with subpar quarterback play, the Bears still finished 7-10. Their defense is back to being one of the league’s toughest and their offense is arguably more talented than it’s been in a decade.
The Chicago Bears are ready to embrace the expectations.
Their path to the playoffs is never easy, but it feels like this could be their year to enter the conversation. Much of the NFC is in turmoil, and San Francisco is seeing some of its key players get older. Philadelphia is in a transition period with quarterback questions. Dallas’s coaching staff faces immense pressure and seems to have lost some key players this off-season. Matthew Stafford is reaching his expiration date in L.A. The NFC South isn’t anything to fear. Truth be told, the biggest roadblocks for the Bears are in their own division with Detroit and Green Bay.
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It comes down to how well head coach Matt Eberflus can manage things. The defense shouldn’t be a problem. He will trust Shane Waldron with the offense, but it remains his responsibility to get everybody executing at a high level. That will be a challenge with a rookie at quarterback. Then again, Caleb Williams isn’t an ordinary rookie. He’s considered a rare prospect that is only seen once or twice per decade. If he lives up to those expectations, the Chicago Bears won’t be denied from the postseason this time.
On paper the Bears have improved dramatically. Now they have to play the games with their stable of new players. It will be exciting!
The NFL has been dying for the Bears to be good! They love this as much as all of us Bears fans do, because it means revenue! It finally feels good to be a Bears fan!
An improved and a competitive Bears team on a regular basis is the best thing for the NFL. F Dallas.
I think it would be smart to play Caleb at least a little in every preseason game as well. Let’s admit it that Fields could have used the extra work when they sat him completely. Every series is practice, plus it allows them to get the true feeling of getting ready for an actual game in getting their routine down etc. Not to mention see different formations on defense, learn disguises etc. While they don’t do a lot of that on defense in the preseason everything they see helps.
One thing that isn’t mentioned often or even at all is how confident Ryan Poles had to be in his own ability to get us to this point. Imagine looking at one of the worst possible places to be a GM. Not Chicago, per se, but with the team in shambles–lacking money, draft picks and having a somewhat aging core. Even with the start talent in Mack and Roshaun, they were going nowhere fast. Regardless of the naysayers, this is the kind of self-confidence that I admire, “Let me have a shot at it. I can get it done.” While… Read more »