What are realistic expectations for the Chicago Bears in 2024? Does it really boil down to playoffs or bust? The third year under head coach Matt Eberflus and General Manager Ryan Poles will be an exciting time. The Bears were improving defensively at the tail end of the 2023 season and they'll most likely select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
The playoffs may still be a year away for the Bears but analyst Kirk Herbstreit knows greatness is on the horizon. While on the Pat McAfee Show discussing the Chicago Bears' offseason and potentially drafting Caleb Williams, Herbstreit commented:
"When they [Bears] made that trade and they got a lot better on the defensive side when Sweat came over and the secondary got healthy; I'm telling you, everybody expected Eberflus to get let go in the middle of the year... The guy had an energy about him. His team responds to him. You better get on the Bears right now."
- Kirk Herbstreit to Pat McAfee
The Bears Are Building On A Growing Foundation
As a Bears fan, hearing people around the NFL appreciate what Chicago is doing is encouraging. Ryan Poles is making moves to fix a bad situation thanks to his predecessor and for the first time in three years, things are looking up.
The Bears got better in 2023 on both sides of the football. The defense put pieces together with Montez Sweat and things were clicking. Chicago put a top-ten defense on the field every Sunday for a large part of the second half of the 2023 season.
The offense got better as well. Justin Fields and DJ Moore built a rapport and with a semi-stable offensive line, the Bears were finding a balance. But the offense will look drastically different in 2024 with the firing of Luke Getsy, the hiring of Shane Waldron, and the trade of Justin Fields.
Poles brought in a veteran receiver in Keenan Allen, another running back in D'Andre Swift, and a starting center in Coleman Shelton. If the Chicago Bears select Caleb Williams as most people expect, then this offense can find a groove in 2024.
As Herbstreit puts it:
Herbstreit is referring to the Lions' 2021 and 2022 seasons under head coach Dan Campbell. Detroit finished last in the NFC North during Campbell's first year and second in his sophomore season.
Then in 2023, the Lions won the division and went to the NFC Championship game but lost to the San Francisco 49ers. If Herbstreit is right, the Chicago Bears are in line for a wildly optimistic fourth season under Matt Eberflus in 2025.
This doesn't mean the 2024 season is a waste of time either. The Bears are just getting started with the new-look offense this season and it may take time to groom. But as they fine-tune the details and get this organization pointed in the right direction, fans can place their hope — maybe for the last time — in the Bears' front office.
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