The national media is finally talking about the Chicago Bears. They’ve made their fans endure years of mediocrity (at best) and are a popular sleeper amongst the playoff contender crowd. Still, trepidation remains for those like myself, who thought they were good enough to win ten games last year.. and the year before.
As you can probably tell from that tidbit, I’m forever an optimist. It really feels different with this regime, but I refuse to be left at the altar again. I’ve entered the “show me, don’t tell me” era of my love/hate relationship with the Bears.
While I’m not willing to plant my flag on the “The Bears are FINALLY going to live up to expectations!” train, I still think there are a few bankable players across the board this year. It can be tough to make an accurate assessment of superlatives for the upcoming season in July, but I’m up for the task.
Breakout Player: Rome Odunze
The entire Bears’ offense will benefit from the Ben Johnson hire. However, you could argue that Rome Odunze will be the biggest beneficiary. Last year’s tenth overall pick had a relatively quiet season with only 53 catches, 734 yards, and three scores, but it would’ve been difficult to expect better numbers with him having 39 and 20 fewer targets than DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, respectively.
The notion that Odunze didn’t live up to expectations last year is not only unfair, but also blasphemous. The only expectations he didn’t live up to were the ones that were too lofty for the third option in a passing game to begin with.
Allen’s departure this offseason leaves 121 targets on the board. While the receiver room is staying crowded following the additions of Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, and Olamide Zaccheaus, it feels like a safe bet that many of those opportunities are going Odunze’s way. The 23-year-old will be fun to watch with Johnson calling the shots. I think he’s got a shot to lead the team in yards and touchdowns when it’s all said and done.
Best Rookie: Colston Loveland
Colston Loveland arrived at camp healthy! Ozzy Trapilo also makes sense here, but I went with Loveland due to how significant a mismatch he’ll be. The Bears selected him with the tenth pick for a reason. His speed and athleticism are going to cause some headaches for opposing defensive coordinators every week.
Rookie tight ends historically take a longer time to get their feet underneath them, but Sam LaPorta was a big-time exception to that rule. Ben Johnson helped him reach the Pro Bowl as a rookie with an 86-catch, 889-yard season. LaPorta was highly-regarded coming out of Iowa, but Loveland runs circles around him as a prospect. One was drafted tenth overall, while the other got selected with the 34th pick and was the second TE off the board, after all.
The fact of the matter is, no one knows how the targets will be divvied up. With that said, I’m banking on Colston Loveland providing a hefty impact right out of the gate. I don’t necessarily think he will replicate LaPorta’s rookie year due to the offense having many mouths to feed, but a 600-yard, 6-8 TD season is well within the realm of possibilities.
Biggest Comeback Player: Montez Sweat
Last season didn’t exactly go as planned for the Bears. They have a few players that would be viable options here. Notably, two starters in the secondary, Jaquan Brisker and Tyrique Stevenson, should bounce back after injury-riddled and disappointing years. Likewise, those characteristics also perfectly describe Montez Sweat’s 2024 performance. He should be much better this year, though.
Sweat might have led the team with 5.5 sacks, but it’s safe to say they expected much more from the guy they just resigned to a four-year, $98 million deal. The 28-year-old was slowed by injuries all season and never really looked like himself. While he only missed one game, he was a regular on the injury report and was never truly healthy.
The 28-year-old is only two years removed from a 12.5 sack season. In fact, Sweat led both the Commanders and Bears in sacks (with 6.5 and 6, respectively) during the 2023 season. Needless to say, he was a revelation for Chicago in his first nine games with the team. He helped the defense make a complete 180 at midseason to become one of the league’s best units over the second half of the ’23 season. With a clean bill of health, I think that’s the Montez Sweat we’re going to see this season.
Biggest Disappointment: Dayo Odeyingbo
While I expect a major bounce back from Sweat, I’m less confident in his counterpart. I was honestly a bit confused by the Bears’ decision to sign Odeyingbo to a three-year, $48 million deal this offseason. I don’t think I was on an island in that regard, either, as I saw similar sentiments echoed on Twitter.
While on that topic, I guess you could question what constitutes a “disappointment”. I don’t think the expectations for Odeyingbo are that robust, but I would argue the ceiling should be higher for the guy who will make $16 million per season. The 6’6, 276-pound defensive end fits the size profile that new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen covets from his defensive ends, but he only has 16.5 sacks over the first four years of his career.
He’s the only edge rusher making more than $12 million annually without 20 career sacks to his name. Sure, he’s a lot younger than most of them, but he’s far from the only edge rusher who just signed his second contract. I would’ve loved the signing if they signed him for $10-12 million per year, but the dollars just don’t make sense right now. I don’t think the pricetag will look great next to a five-sack season.
MVP: Caleb Williams
This is the big one, and I don’t think my pick here will be all that controversial. Caleb Williams quietly had a very efficient rookie season that would’ve qualified him as an Offensive Rookie of the Year Award finalist under normal circumstances. The 2024 NFL season was certainly not that, though. Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix had two of the best passing seasons we’ve ever seen from rookie signal callers.
The fact that Williams threw for 3500 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only six interceptions, considering the abysmal situation he got drafted into, is a miraculous accomplishment. Neither Daniels nor Nix would’ve had nearly as much success as they did if they were in his shoes.
The addition of Ben Johnson truly cannot be overstated. He helped resurrect Jared Goff’s career in Detroit after he was shipped out of LA for pennies on the dollar. Goff looked like an MVP candidate last year. Just imagine what Johnson can do with a QB as talented as Williams. The 23-year-old is about to explode.
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